I was hired to take care of those collections as well as to conduct mycological research. I am currently active in a joint research project between China and the United States that is looking at fungal species found in both of those countries but nowhere else in the world. The goals of the project include collecting baseline information useful for maintaining forest ecosystems and obtaining new insights into biogeographic relationships. Before I went to college, I was influenced by reports about skillful scientists using their knowledge to cure plant diseases and to benefit agriculture and forestry. After an admission test, I was accepted by a university with a strong program in mycology, plant pathology and forest protection.
Fungi are very diverse in their forms and functions, and they are abundantly interesting.
I love to join the effort of understanding fungi and their roles in maintaining a healthy environment. My current research interests are fungal biodiversity and biogeography. Biodiversity is mainly concerned with species richness and frequency in an ecosystem. Biogeography is about distribution patterns of organisms through time, ecological changes, and evolution. These are fundamental issues that may affect the outcome of conservation efforts.