Testimonials for Pioneer Member Jian-Kang Zhu

Cheng-Guo Duan – During my stay as a postdoc in Professor Jian-Kang Zhu’s laboratory, Prof. Zhu’s extensive research interests and profound insight into scientific questions benefited me a lot and had a profound impact on my research career.

Xin-Jian He – I worked with Jian-Kang as a postdoc at University of California, Riverside. With Jian-Kang’s excellent supervision, I successfully identified and characterized several components of the RNA-directed DNA methylation pathway. This was the beginning of my research career in plant epigenetics. I very much appreciate Jian-Kang’s help, and I am pleased to know that he is recognized as a Pioneer of ASPB. Jian-Kang absolutely deserves this recognition.

Chao-Feng Huang – Dr. Jian-Kang Zhu is a great scientist and inspired me to focus on solving big scientific questions. He has been very supportive of my career development.

Huazhong Shi –  Dr. Jian-Kang Zhu pioneered several important fields of plant science. This includes his contributions to elucidation of the molecular mechanisms of plant salt tolerance and epigenetic control of gene expression in response to abiotic stress. He is not only a pioneering scientist, but was also a great mentor for many students and postdocs who are currently research forces in the plant sciences.

Liming Xiong – Back in the 1990s, having been comfortably immersed in the field of soil science for a decade, I did not expect anything dramatic that would alter my career path. Joining Dr. Jian-Kang Zhu’s lab certainly was a turning point for me in many ways. I am very grateful that Dr. Zhu provided me an opportunity and led me into the fascinating field of plant molecular genetics. Dr. Zhu’s passion for science and his sharp insights into scientific issues remain a legacy, and he surely is a great inspiration for us who are fortunate to have studied and worked with him.

Heng Zhang – Jian-Kang is a highly motivated scientist with a vision. Although sometimes it can be difficult to find answers out of research chaos, he always finds key clues faster than anyone else and devises feasible experiments to test an hypothesis. I enjoyed the freedom to explore my scintific interests in his lab. When I joined his lab, I had some hesitation about a career in science, but I left his lab with much more confidence and a clear sense of the direction of my research.

Huiming Zhang – Jian-Kang is a great mentor and friend to the people who studied and worked with him. He led many people to success in their plant biology research.

Yang Zhao – Dr. Jian-Kang Zhu generated two valuable forward genetic screening systems and led high-quality original research during the past thirty years. He established the SOS signaling pathway and discovered salt stress signaling using the classical root-binding assay. He also did great work on RNA-directed DNA methylation and discovered the first genetically characterized DNA demethylases in eukaryotes. He also did great research in ABA and osmotic stress signaling and genome editing. He is an outstanding geneticist and a leader in plant abiotic stress signaling and DNA methylation.

Lang Zhaobo – It’s my great honor to have the opportunity to make this donation. I am a principal investigator in the Chinese Academy of Science. Dr. Jian-Kang Zhu was my Ph.D advisor, and I studied in Zhu’s lab for five years from 2009 to 2014 at Purdue University. In Zhu’s lab, I learned what scientific research is, how to ask important questions, and how to design experiments to test an hypothesis. It was one of the most important and unforgettable experiences of my life. Dr. Zhu always provided unconditional support to current and former lab members for our careers and lives. I thank Dr. Zhu for his help and support during the past 13 years.

Gong Zhizhong – Dr. Jian-Kang Zhu is a leading scientst in several important areas of plant research. I very much enjoyed my time working in his lab, and I learned a lot from him.