My interest in plants spans as far back as I can remember. As a child, I played in my grandfather's vegetable field, watching cucumbers, cabbage, sweet potatoes, and corn sprouting from small seeds, growing and producing fruit.

 

I obtained my Bachelor’s degree in Biotechnology in Qufu Normal University, where I started to build deeper connections with plants. My very first project was a field-based research. I joined Dr. Hou Yuantong and his team to the Yi Meng mountains in Shandong province to collect specimens and examine the distribution of plants. I worked closely with Dr. Hou, recording the plants we collected, making samples, taking pictures for plants and taking part in seminars related to identification of plants in the field along with their medical functions and related history. It was after this experience I found my passion for plant-research.

 

Then, luckily I was introduced to Dr.Qiu Nianwei and Dr.Song Yuguang. I joined a project studying stress tolerance of Chinese cabbage(Trace Strontium). Dr. Song’s research interests are epigenetic modification and regulation mechanism of tolerance in Leguminous plants. Under his supervision, I worked on a project studying cloning and functional analysis of key genes of salt tolerance in Alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.).

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My undergraduate learning experiences in China inspired my desire to pursue advanced education in Botany at University of British Columbia. Here, I’m very excited to join Dr. Geoff Wasteneys’ lab, studying the molecular mechanisms that govern microtubule dynamics and organization in different types of plant cells.

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Botany is a field full of endless attraction and unlocked passwords. I’m more than happy to continuously explore the mysteries of plants.