Mao Li: Plant Physiology First Author

Mao Li, first author of “Quantitative dissection of color patterning in the foliar ornamental coleus”

Current Position: Senior Research Scientist in Data Science Facility and Principal Investigator at Donald Danforth Plant Science Center (USA)

Education: Ph.D. and M.Sc. in Biomathematics at Florida State University (USA); M.Sc. in Mathematics at Fudan University (China); B.Sc. in Mathematics at Xiamen University (China)

Non-scientific Interests: watching TV shows, travelling

Brief bio: The Danforth Center has a mission to improve the human condition through plant science. My contribution to our mission is unique from most other scientists at the center as my background isn’t in plant science at all. I am a mathematician. I am collaborating with plant scientists and developing different perspectives, innovated approaches, and new solutions. Prior to my current position, I had 13 years’ training in mathematics and then I made a transition to much more specialized works in plant science since 2016 when I joined Topp Lab at the center as a Postdoc Associate. I have wide research interests such as quantifying complex things like inflorescence and root architecture, leaf shape, and 3D genome structure by developing mathematical methods, models, and computational tools. These new approaches are helping plant scientists capture large amount of information that previously went undetected, ultimately increasing our understanding of plants.

姓名：李茂

目前职位：唐纳德丹福斯植物科学中心（美国）数据科学设施高级研究科学家、独立PI

教育背景：佛罗里达州立大学生物数学专业博士和硕士；复旦大学数学专业硕士；厦门大学数学专业学士

兴趣爱好：看剧，旅行

个人简介：丹福斯中心的一个使命是通过植物科学改善人类状况。我对于这个使命的贡献却有别于我们中心的其他大多数科学家，因为我没有任何植物科学背景。我是一个数学家。我通过和植物科学家们通力合作，提出不同的观点、创新的方法和新的解决方案。在此之前，我有13年的数学专业的系统训练，后于2016年加入Topp实验室从事博士后的工作，由此便更侧重于植物科学领域方面的工作。我的研究兴趣非常广泛，比如通过开发数学方法、模型、算法等量化复杂的事物，像是花序和根系的结构、叶型、三维基因组构造等。这些新方法可以为植物科学家捕捉大量的先前未被发现的信息，进而加深我们对植物的了解。