Jie-Bi Hu and his ceaseless search for new medicines

If you had to explain your research topic to your grandmother or your little sister, how would you do it?
My research focuses forecasting mass spectrometry. Because in this century I think mass spectrometry is one very powerful technique. I focus on drug development: working with fruit flies and C. elegans I try to find the best target for a drug. The aim is to find the best drugs for humans within a short time, like a year.
I think drug discovery is the most important issue for humans, so we work to find the best way to develop a drug against viruses for example.

In your research motivation you wrote that you feel attracted by science as by a black hole. Black holes are said to engulf things that come too close to them, so does science sometimes engulf you?
Yes, definitely.

You also state that many people like the word 'science' and use it often, but don’t understand its “real meaning”. What is the real meaning of the word 'science'?
Sometimes in our research, we find something that is right at this moment. But after ten years with other experiments it can turn out to be wrong information. That is confusing. I think this is why we should consider many perspectives when discovering something new.

What is the one thing you’d like to achieve before the end of your scientific career?
I think I would like to go abroad to Germany, Switzerland or the US – to study and work there.

What is science in your mother language?

How would you draw the place where you have the best ideas?