Founding my lab in Shenzhen

From 2016 to 2019, I spent four years at the Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanical Garden under the Chinese Academy of Sciences. Now based in Shenzhen, the opportunity to establish my lab is like a dream come true for any researcher.

My journey in Shenzhen began in February 2023 when I accepted an offer from Tsinghua Shenzhen International Graduate School that would allow her to establish an urban ecology lab. The job offer was incredibly appealing. The opportunity to build a lab from scratch is rare in academia.

In just six months, I transformed a modestly sized, empty room into a fully equipped lab, complete with cabinets, microscopes, drones, and various detectors. The lab also houses butterflies and other insect species, which are central to its research focus.

My lab now consists of nine members, including one postdoctoral researcher, four master’s students, three Ph.D. candidates, and myself. I’m very proud of my group. I’m looking forward to seeing their outcomes as we’re still in the early stages.