grace zhong (钟君玥, 'weird worm lady')

Broadly interested in motility and symbiosis, especially questions relating to how, when, why, and evolutionary patterns/innovations therein.

Currently PhD candidate at Stanford University, advised by Dr. Manu Prakash. In my PhD, I thought a lot about mobility (and the decisions involved in moving) as important parts (and expressions) of biological agency. I asked whether an animal without a nervous system can make persistent decisions, such as in climbing up a thermal gradient (read more here). And I also jumped beyond organism boundaries to ask, when behavior is defined in a relative manner between organisms (e.g. in animal-microbe symbiosis), can symbionts move or be moved while embedded in an animal, and so, then how, and who is in charge, when (read more here)?

I am servant to many small aquaria, which I seed with interesting water samples that I come by (e.g. from the refugium at the local aquarium store, from vernal pools, etc). I am perhaps a rare aquarium hobbyist who loves hitchhikers and algae overgrow. Watching the various inhabitants in my aquariums and their interactions with each other, I often find myself asking, what is an individual? When are you friendly neighbors, when are you in a symbiotic relationship, when are you being selfish? Especially obsessed with acoel worms, dinoflagellates, and foraminifera.

Grew up in China and Canada. I spend a lot of time conversing with diasporic feelings. Channeled some of those feelings into a YouTube channel during the pandemic, where I share some (admittedly mostly shallow for now) content on Chinese history, art, architecture, etc.

Almost studied history instead of engineering science in undergrad. Determined to keep making time for art/art history related side projects (example here), and always trying to sneak into cool humanities classes.