The first dedicated laboratory at the Centre of Excellence for Plant and Microbial Sciences (CEPAMS) opened for business today in Beijing with the arrival of its first Group Leader, Yang Bai.
This is a major milestone in the development of CEPAMS, established between the John Innes Centre (JIC) and the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS).
Bai, who joins CEPAMS from the world renowned Max Planck Institute for Plant Breeding Research in Cologne, Germany, has ambitious plans for his new laboratory and for its future impact.
The Bai laboratory, housed within the CAS Institute of Genetics and Developmental Biology, will study the microbes that are associated with healthy plant growth. Dr Bai believes that a better understanding of these microbes will be essential to the development of global sustainable agriculture. He sees a bright future in which the need for artificial fertilizer is dramatically reduced and global food security is strengthened.
“It is a great honour to be the very first CEPAMS group leader. I am looking forward to exploiting my unique position, as a joint CAS-JIC faculty member, to do some ground-breaking science and to further strengthen the UK-China scientific partnership. I want my new lab to meet the global challenge of food security,” Bai said.
It is envisaged that Bai will be joined by a further nine group leaders in the coming months and years as CEPAMS expands to full capacity. The recruitment phase is open and ongoing.
