Biography
Education:
B.S., Biological Science, Nankai University, China. 2008
Ph.D., Plant Biology, Pennsylvania State University, USA. 2016
Postdoctoral Training:
Donald Danforth Plant Science Center, USA. 2017-2024
Research
Research Interest:
My research program studies comparative development of plant morphological traits at the cellular level and their underlying genetic bases. I aim to understand how plant structures differentiate and develop and what controls their morphological and functional variation. I use Poaceae (the grass family) as my study system. Poaceae, including all cereal crops such as wheat, rice, maize and barley, is one of the largest plant families rich in morphological diversity, and is essential for human diet and animal feed. Specifically, my research combines cellular and molecular biology, genetics, gene editing, and phylogenetics to study the comparative development and evolution of grain disarticulation. Recently, my research interests extend to establishing transformation systems for wild barley species, aiming to provide molecular tools for exploiting wild relatives of barley and wheat.
Current Research Project:
2024-2028: UKRI Future Leaders Fellowship – Development and evolution of abscission zones in the Triticeae. Role: PI. (£1,877,793)
