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I will try my best to pass all the good characteristics I learnt from them on to mentoring the next generation of scientists in my own laboratory. Joseph Noel are two significant scientific role models for me. Clint Chapple and my postdoctoral advisor Dr. Who (scientist or not) do you see as your role model(s)?Īs mentioned above, my PhD advisor Dr. What motivates you to go to work on a day-to-day basis?īeing a scientist, there is always something new to experience every day: progress on an experiment, meeting with other scientists, mentoring students and postdocs, having new ideas over a coffee with a colleague, etc. The basic understanding of plant biochemistry will ultimately instruct the design of synthetic biofactories to produce renewable energy, commodity chemicals, and pharmaceuticals. How do you think your research benefits society? Jing-Ke's fossil collection, which includes several extinct lycophyte specimens. How did complex metabolic traits arise in a Darwinian fashion? How can we efficiently identify genes and pathways underlying the biosynthesis of specialized metabolites in any plant species of interest? What is the mechanistic basis for the so-called ‘matrix effect’ observed in many traditional herbal remedies? What are the current hot topics/big questions in your field
#Chen jing ke how to#
I have learnt tremendously from both of them, not only on the technical aspects of carrying out research, but – more importantly – also on how to enjoy science as a lifelong passion. Clint Chapple at Purdue University and Dr.
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Throughout my scientific career I was also lucky enough to have two great mentors, Dr. His 30-plus-year career in science set a perfect example for me that being a scientist is the best job in the world – getting paid for working on questions you’re passionate about. My father, who is a professor in geochemistry, played a big role in my career choice. Why did you decide to pursue a career in research? What/who led you specifically down your field of research? The lycophyte Selaginella moellendorffii, which has been an important model system for Jing-Ke's research. This personal experience has inspired me to study the mechanistic basis for the efficacy of these herbal remedies now in my own laboratory. Many of these treatments were indeed very effective. During my childhood, my mother would often give me traditional Chinese herbal remedies when I was sick.
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Therefore, picking plant biology as the topic of my research at the start of graduate school was an easy decision for me. My love for plants in the natural world was cultivated from an early age. I spent lots of memorable time playing in the garden – tasting scarlet sage nectar, collecting acorns, making mini swords out of rose stems, digging up earthworms, and observing insects. My childhood home was walking distance from a local botanical garden, where my father always took me with him for daily morning exercise. What inspired your interest in plant science? Were you drawn in from an early age, or was there someone or something that sparked it? We conducted a short interview with Jing-Ke to find out a bit more about the person behind the outstanding scientist. His Tansley Medal winning minireview entitled ‘ The evolutionary paths towards complexity: a metabolic perspective’, highlights his contribution to research. Jing-Ke’s research focuses on the evolution of metabolic pathways and has published a number of primary research papers in a range of journals including among others, papers in Science and New Phytologist. Applicants are initially asked to submit a CV and statement and if shortlisted are asked to write a minireview which is sent for external peer review and subject to the normal high standards required by New Phytologist. The Tansley Medal is a prestigious award which recognises scientists in the early stages of their careers, who have made an outstanding contribution to research in plant science. Read the Editorial in Volume 201 Issue 4, by New Phytologist Section and Tansley Review Editor Liam Dolan, which highlights their achievements. The 2013 Tansley Medal was awarded jointly to two excellent scientists Dr Jing-Ke Weng of the Whitehead Institute, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, USA and Dr Li-Qing Chen of the Carnegie Institution for Science, USA. Interview with Tansley Medal 2013 winner Jing-Ke Weng