Meng-Rong Chuang: Plant Direct First Author

Meng-Rong Chuang, first author of “Chloroplast import of an intermembrane space protein is facilitated by translocon components Toc75 and Tic236”

Current Position: Research Assistant at Department of Food Science and Biotechnology of National Chung Hsing University, Taiwan

Education: MS in Institute of Molecular and Cellular Biology, National Taiwan University, Taiwan; BS in Department of Bioscience Technology, Chung Yuan Christian University, Taiwan

Non-scientific Interests: Cooking, gardening, photography, indie rock

Brief bio: I undertook an undergraduate intern program at the Institute of Molecular Biology (IMB), Academia Sinica in the summer of 2016. There, I was supervised by Dr. Hsou-min Li and her postdoc Dr. Julia Chu. We analyzed how different transit peptides affected protein import efficiency into root leucoplasts. The research experience greatly broadened my scope in science and prompted my interest in plant science and molecular biology. After graduating with a bachelor’s degree, I returned to IMB and started a Master’s thesis in Dr. Li’s lab where I investigated the mechanisms of protein import into the chloroplast intermembrane space. After completing my Master’s, I decided to further broaden my research scope and studied bacterial metabolic diversity at the Biodiversity Research Center of Academia Sinica. Now, I work as a Research Assistant in the Food Science Department of National Chung Hsing University. There, we study the functions of polysaccharides important in agricultural products. I strive to remain curious about everything I encounter in science and endeavor to establish the underlying mechanism. It has been an illuminating journey for me so far.