Leelyn Chong: The Plant Cell First Author
Leelyn Chong, co-first author of “The tomato OST1-VOZ1 module regulates drought-mediated flowering”
Current Position: Associate Professor at Henan University, China
Education: Doctor of Philosophy in Interdisciplinary Life Sciences, Purdue University, Indiana, USA; Master of Science in Nutritional Sciences, University of Connecticut, Connecticut, USA; Bachelor of Science in Nutritional Sciences (magna cum laude), Honors Scholar, University of Connecticut, Connecticut, USA
Non-scientific Interests: Effective Teaching, Traveling and Spending Quality Time with Family
Brief bio: My first plant science research project dates back to high school where I had the opportunity to work with excellent scientists from Yale University. I then landed two summer internships to work on interdisciplinary research projects that involved soil science and astronomy at the Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station and Yale University, respectively. After high school, I studied nutritional sciences for my B.S. and M.S. at the University of Connecticut (UConn) where I became certain that teaching science and doing research are my passion. The UConn’s Women in Math, Science, and Engineering (WiMSE) Learning Community and Honors Program had given me the chance to work with diverse faculty members and students from STEM. I was able to perform research that was relevant to nutrition and breast cancer and besides research, I was also able to teach biology and mentor young students through UConn’s Upward Bound Program.
Before I joined Purdue University’s Interdisciplinary Life Sciences (PULSe) Program to pursue my PhD, I worked in Dr. Anjali Iyer-Pascuzzi’s lab as a lab technician and I learned about doing plant root research from her. After that, I performed another plant science-related research for my dissertation which I utilized mass spectrometry methods to analyze lipids in various plant systems with Professors Zheng Ouyang and Yu Xia. For this project, I collaborated with Dr. Yingfang Zhu (currently a Professor at Henan University, China) to study how various abiotic stress factors affect lipid species in Arabidopsis and tomato plants. After receiving my PhD, I joined Professor Yingfang Zhu’s research group as an Assistant Professor and began to investigate the molecular mechanisms underlying how environmental stress affects various aspects of plant growth and development. In addition to performing research, I also teach graduate students about effective scientific communication in both English and Chinese. With my skills and knowledge, I hope to inspire and help more students across the globe to attain academic and research success in the STEM field.
姓名：Leelyn Chong
职位：副教授，中国河南大学
教育经历：美国普渡大学, 交叉生物学, 博士；康涅狄格大学, 营养分子学, 硕士；康涅狄格大学，营养科学，本科。
个人兴趣：高质量教学、旅行以及陪伴家人。
个人简介：我的第一个植物科学研究项目可以追溯到高中时，那时我与耶鲁大学的优秀科学家学习了怎么做科研。 然后我获得了两个暑期实习机会，分别在康涅狄格州农业实验站和耶鲁大学参与了土壤科学和天文学的跨学科研究项目。高中毕业后，我在康涅狄格大学（UConn）攻读我的学士和硕士学位（营养分子学）。在那期间我确认了我是真的喜欢教学和科研。 康涅狄格大学的数学、科学和工程女性团体(WiMSE)和UConn Honors Program让我有机会与来自 STEM 不同的教职师和学生一起学习和工作。同时在本科期间，我也进行了营养和乳腺癌相关的研究。除了研究之外，我还利用课余时间加入了 UConn 的 Upward Bound Program教授生物学和指导高中生。
2017年，我在普渡大学获得了博士学位（交叉生物学）。我也曾在 Dr. Anjali Iyer-Pascuzzi 的实验室担任过技术员，从她那里了解和学习了植物根系的研究。在我读博期间，我的两位博士生导师（欧阳证教授和瑕瑜教授）让我参与了一个与植物科学相关的研究，我利用质谱分析了植物的脂质。在这个项目中，我与祝英方博士（现任河南大学教授）合作研究了各种非生物胁迫因素如何影响拟南芥和番茄植物中的脂质。在获得博士学位后，我加入祝英方教授课题组担任副教授，开始研究环境胁迫如何影响植物生长发育各个方面的分子机制。除了进行研究外，我还用英语和中文双语教授研究生有效的科学交流。我希望以我的技能和知识来激励和帮助更多的学生在 STEM 领域取得学术和研究的成功。
