Hello reader, I’m Jan. Welcome to my blog, The Zeeman Effect!

I’m a G1 (first year) PhD student at Harvard Medical School, specifically the Harvard-MIT Speech and Hearing Biosciences and Technology Program (SHBT). Yes, it’s a mouthful. I’m interested in studying the bioacoustics of human communication organs, i.e. the ear and vocal tract.

I previously studied at MIT, where I received my BS (2024) and ME (2025) in electrical engineering. The transition into my PhD has been strange. My surroundings are exactly the same, even the same room in the same apartment. But there are some key changes with this new life stage.

Academics:
I had spent my whole life doing math and engineering. Before college, I was passionate about math. During college, I dove pretty deeply into electrical engineering while enjoying random math-adjacent classes on the side. Now, I’m a medical school student, pursuing a PhD in medical sciences and taking courses in anatomy and neuroscience. I’ll save the story of how I ended up here for another post.

The last biology course I’ve taken was in freshman fall of college, which was on Pass/No-Record (PNR) during Covid-19. I remember nothing from that class, so naturally, the learning curve has been quite drastic. I’ve spent the semester rotating through my biology friends for help and listening to biology podcasts during my commutes. But overall, it’s been super exciting. Every day I learn more about the science that points to the beauty of life. The ear is so complex, and the molecular processes that drive human life are such a miracle. Perhaps it’s something I can write about on this blog 🙂

Community:
Most of the friends I spent the past 4-5 years with have moved away. Many are in SF or NYC earning six-figure salaries, finding new communities, or even preparing to get married. Others are in graduate or medical school at places like Stanford, Caltech, and Duke. Some are in a transitional period, building a start-up or taking a gap year.

It’s crazy to think that just a year or two ago, I would bump into them multiple times a week in the same spaces I still walk through. Now I’m not sure when I’ll see them next. I’m grateful to still have close friends in Boston, but it does feel like I lost a big part of the reason I loved Boston.

Lifestyle:
While studying at MIT, I could walk to class in minutes. Now, my daily commutes average about two hours, including walking 4-6 miles each day. I always thought that PhD students would be far busier than undergrads, but these commutes have given me a lot, almost too much, time to decompress between commitments. I am proud (or ashamed? idk) to say I’m already on level 890 in Candy Crush 😛

The craziest development, though, is probably my new sleep schedule. I’d always been known for staying up until absurd hours and running at night to process all my thoughts from the day. But now, I sleep before midnight and wake up at 6:30 am to run before work. I’m still getting used to it, but it does make me very happy to see the sunrise while running. Here’s the best sunrise I’ve seen so far:

I guess none of the above actually tells you much about who I am or what this blog is about. Hm…

In this identity-based culture, I would list my identities in order of importance to me: Christian, Scientist, Korean-American, Educator. I started this blog to write about my thoughts and experiences shaped by these identities during my PhD years. I was recently inspired while writing fellowship application essays; it was quite fun and reflective to write about how I became who I am and what I hope to do. I imagine it could be valuable for me to continue writing these thoughts formally somewhere. 

But more importantly, I hope something in these posts encourages you or teaches you something new. Suggestions and comments are always welcome. Whether you’re a friend catching up on my life or a stranger curious about the PhD experience, I’m excited to share this space with you 🙂

Thanks for reading! Until next time,
Jan