Editor’s note:

Geneleap Biotech is a subsidiary company under Luye Life Sciences Group, which is a company focuses on developing gene drugs targeting cancer and infectious disease. The company has an international R & D team from Boston, Nanjing and Yantai, and there is an Algerian colleague in this diversified team- Dr. Nouredine. He is based in Nanjing and has been lived in China for almost 13 years. This month we are delighted to have him to share with us his stories in China.

 

Dr. Nouredine-Senior Scientist of Geneleap Biotech (Nanjing)

 

Q: Hello, Dr. Nouredine, thank you for accepting the July interview, to start with, can you give us a brief introduction of yourself?

N: My name is Behloul Nouredine. Most people here, when I came to china, they just call me with my Chinese name 艾丁. I am from Algeria and I did my bachelor studies there and major in pharmacy. I participated in a national competition when I was in Algeria and got the second place, and I received a fund to go abroad for further study. During that time, I can choose among three countries, since I was really interested in Chinese culture so I chose to go to China.

So I came here in 2009 to China Pharmaceutical University in Nanjing and obtained my Master degree in Pharmacology in 2013. And right after that, I joined Southeast University to continue my PhD. studies. So I have chosen a field that I was really interested in, which is immunology. From 2013 to 2018, I was at Southeast University and after I obtained my PhD., I went to Shanghai University of Medicine and Health Sciences for a 2-year post-doc. 

In October 2021, I joined Geneleap of Luye as a Senior Scientist for vaccine design. and I’m currently responsible for the biology platform. Aside from working on projects’ studies, I’ m also responsible for coordination and management of the platform. 

Q: Could you briefly introduce your hometown to us? 

N: I haven’t got a chance to go back to Algeria since COVID-19 and it has been 3 years, I really miss there. Talking about Algeria, it is a country in the Maghreb in northern Africa. Bordered by the Mediterranean Sea to the north, Libya and Tunisia to the east, Niger, Mali and Mauritania to the south-east and south respectively, and Morocco to the west, Algeria is the largest country in Africa, the Mediterranean and the Arab countries, and the 10th largest in the world. I believe Chinese tourists would like Algeria very much, it is a mesmerizing place. There are so many mountains, the sea, and the largest desert in the world- the Sahara Desert, and it's just a breathtaking place, especially for sunset. 
 

Sahara Desert

Speaking of my hometown, it’s called Bejaja, which is in the north of Algeria. The name of Bejaja in French means candle or bougie. Why this name? Because in the dark ages in Europe (Early Middle Ages), there was a scientific fall, lots of European scientists have moved to my hometown to study, they see the city as a glimmer of light in the darkness. My home town has breathtaking views, we have many mountains and the Mediterranean scene, you can see the mountains in the sea whispering to each other. 
 

 Dr. Nouredine’s hometown-Bejaja

Q: It is truly a stunning view just to imagine, hope more and more tourists can travel to your country and enjoy the fascinating views. You have mentioned that the reason to choose China for further study is because of your interest in Chinese culture, can you share with us your impression when you first came to China?  

N: Our country is close to Europe as I said, therefore we have a lot of similarities. As I watch movies and documentaries, I was always thinking about to go further and to see something different. I wanted to explore the Chinese culture and when I first came here, I was ready to see everything.

At first we thought all Chinese people know kung fu, but when I came here, I found out that is not the case. And I found it very difficult to differentiate people cause they all look very similar. I had a really tough time to remember their names and faces since I can’t speak mandarin at first.

Filmed with his wife at Nanjing Olympic City

The other thing impressed me a lot is people dancing in the parks, during the first year in China, I go the park sometimes and stayed there for hours just to watch them dancing. Old people and young people are all dancing in the park, I can feel that they are really having fun, it feels really good. When I went back home, I even told my relatives and friends to do the same thing.

Q: It is true that we need to adapt all the differences in a totally different culture background. And now I can see you are very used to the Chinese culture, and you can speak very fluent mandarin in your daily work in Nanjing.

N: Yes, during the first year in China, I spent one year to learn mandarin. After one year, I can still barely speak mandarin, but because of the environment, we need to use mandarin in our daily communication, and year after year, my language skill just got improved.

Filmed during his study period

Q: As we can see from your background, you have spent of your time Nanjing, can you share with us some feelings and stories during your work and study in this city?

N：Something that I feel very different and shocked is the life pace. Everything is moving so fast, especially when I started working, you cannot feel the hours, everyday was busy. Compared to other big cities in China, the life pace in Nanjing is not that fast. I like this city very much. I have been living in China for almost 13 years, and I spent 11 years in Nanjing. I still live in the same street when I first got here, it is very close to Xuanwu Lake, and I really like that place.

Filmed with his kid at Xuanwu Lake, Nanjing

Q: We have talked about living in China just now and talking about your work in here. I assume Luye is the first Chinese company you have joined, right? How do you feel about working in a local Chinese company?

N: Yes, this is my first job in China and I feel good about working in here. I have to admit that before I join the company, I was bit afraid, but when I came here, I really appreciate that people like what you think and encourage you to speak out new ideas. The environment gives me the freedom to explore new things, to look for perfection. We have many young and energetic employees in our research team. We have experienced managers in our leadership team. And I think this is a perfect combination.

Q: As we know, GeneLeap has teams based in China and U.S. respectively, we would like to hear your perspective about the teamwork between the two teams regarding cross culture communication.

N: I think it is a plus point for GeneLeap to have MDT international teams working together. The world we are living is like a little town, we have different people coming form different cultures living and working together in this town. Take problem-solving for example, because our team is consisted of different members coming from different countries and backgrounds, everyone can bring ideas from their specific perspective. Therefore, we have more possibilities and approaches to solve the problem. 

 
Q: Last but not least, Luye is a multinational company with employees from different countries and culture background, can you share with us about how to adapt in a company like Luye?

N: I think there are two ways to adapt in a company or in any situation. First, be open-minded and accept. You will meet different people, I don’t judge the differences with others, but rather prefer to understand them, learn from them and work with them. Second, no matter where you are, just do your best. If you could achieve 10 points, then don’t just give them 8 points, work as hard as you can. 

Q: Thank you for your wonderful sharing, Dr. Nouredine, hope you can achieve more results and enjoy working in Luye.