Shuwa received her BA in biological sciences from Nankai University, China. Following that, she pursued her Ph.D. studies in Dr. Paul Schedl's lab at Princeton University, focusing on translational regulation mediated by CPEB molecules. Prior to joining Caltech, she conducted research in Dr. Larry Zipursky's lab at UCLA, exploring synaptic specificity establishment mediated by cell surface proteins. Currently, Shuwa is working in Dr. Kai Zinn's lab developing innovative technologies for visualizing and studying neuronal cell surface protein interaction, affinity and localization during synaptic assembly.