“I enjoy learning about science (especially biology and chemistry) since they have very ‘visible’ effects — you can count the numbers, you can feel the physiology of your body, and you can observe how different chemicals react,” shared Kevin (Shengqi) Dai.
Dai was born in China, living in Beijing before moving to the Sacramento region. A visit to Irvine contributed to his decision to enroll in the UC Irvine School of Pharmacy & Pharmaceutical Sciences. While Dai has recently changed his major to biology from pharmaceutical sciences, he continues to conduct pharmaceutical sciences research as an undergraduate researcher in the Albrecht Lab.
“Our research revolves around the lysosome, which is one of the two mechanisms the cell uses to degrade proteins,” he explained. “We have previously shown that arginine methylation is a trend for proteins that get sent to the lysosomes for degradation. Our current experiment involves using a specialized proximity labeling tool and proteomics to identify the proteins that get methylated, and in the future, we will use specialized lysosomes, the proximity labeling tool, and proteomics to identify the proteins in the lysosomes that were methylated. We will then be able to categorize the proteins and provide important data for future experiments.”
Outside of the lab and classroom, Dai spends his time helping other students as a member of the Pharmaceutical Sciences Mentorship Program (PSMP). He has also served as a board intern for the Pre-Pharmacy Society at UCI, in which he was responsible for planning events and presenting at the organization’s meetings.
With an anticipated graduation date of June 2026, Dai is looking toward pursuing a career in research or applying to medical school.
“I want to do something in the life sciences field since it’s meaningful work that could benefit others,” he said. “It’s fascinating to me to think about how we can send small molecules into someone’s body to combat disease.”
