Prof. YUAN Zhilin, the PI of State Key Laboratory of Tree Genetics and Breeding (Beijing). He mainly works on the genetic and environmental basis of novel tree root–fungus mutualistic interactions, population genomics and adaptive evolution of root dark septate endophytes (DSEs). These advances have revolutionized our understanding of functioning of soil mutualistic fungi and paved the way for technology of “matching site, fungi, and fertilizer with trees”. In the past five years, a total of 23 peer reviewed papers were published including prestigious journals like the ISME Journal, Curr Biol and Trends Microbiol. He presided over the Youth Fund, General Fund & Outstanding Youth Fund of NSFC (Natural Science Foundation of China), and was selected as millions of Talents Project Provincial candidates of National Forestry and Grassland Administration, Leading talent project (“10000-talent Program”) of Zhejiang Province & the 14th China Forestry Youth Science and Technology Award.
