What brought you to UGA? The excellent reputation of UGA in higher education and its highly recognized inter-disciplinary nature of plant-based research studies, motivated me to apply UGA.

What are your research/study interests? My research interests are the understanding of the molecular mechanism behind the biosynthesis of plant pectic polysaccharides via the protein expression and enzymological studies. Furthermore, with the understanding of the pectin deconstruction enzymes, my research studies are focusing on the strategies for efficient solubilization of plant biomass during the consolidated bioprocessing to enhance the biofuels production.

What has been a benefit of being part of IPS?/How did it help you select your program? The most important aspect of IPS program is the flexibility to select a laboratory of my own research interest, covering a wide array of departments including Plant Biology, Bioinformatics, Genetics, Plant Breeding, Plant Pathology, Biochemistry and Molecular Biology etc.

What are your career goals? My ultimate goal is to join in academia and to continue my research career while making collaborations with industries to practically apply the research findings.

Who is your major professor? Dr Debra Mohnen