Dr Michael Stephenson visits Shanghai Jiao Tong University
By: Communications
Dr Michael Stephenson from UEA's School of Chemistry, Pharmacy and Pharmacology recently visited Shanghai Jiao Tong University in China to deliver an invited talk at a symposium focused on plant metabolism and evolution.
The symposium brought together interdisciplinary researchers from across the field of plant metabolism to share recent discoveries, discuss emerging research directions and explore opportunities for international collaboration.
During the event, Michael presented his research using large-scale genome mining to uncover the hidden diversity of one of nature's most complex chemical reactions.
His talk highlighted key discoveries and chemical insights from his recently published work with collaborators in Prof Anne Osbourn's group at the John Innes Centre. The research, published in Nature Chemical Biology, reveals previously unexplored diversity in the enzymes responsible for producing complex natural products in plants.
Read the research article in Nature Chemical Biology
The visit also provided an opportunity to exchange ideas with international colleagues, learn about ongoing research at Shanghai Jiao Tong University and strengthen connections between the two institutions.
Dr Stephenson spent an afternoon touring the laboratories of Prof Zhenhua Liu's group and meeting with graduate students to discuss their research.
Reflecting on the visit, he said: "It was a fantastic opportunity to share our research from UEA with an international audience and engage with colleagues working on exciting questions in plant metabolism and evolution. I was particularly impressed by the stimulating scientific discussions, the scale of the university and the incredible hospitality we received.
"A special thanks to Professor Zhenhua Liu for the kind invitation and warm welcome, and to the talented students in his group for sharing their research. I hope the connections made during the visit will lead to future collaborations."
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