Tianjun Cao is an Assistant Professor of Teaching and Research at the Faculty of Synthetic Biology, Shenzhen University of Advanced Technology (SUAT). He has long been engaged in research on algal molecular biology and photosynthetic pigment metabolism, with a particular focus on elucidating the biosynthetic mechanisms of chlorophyll c, fucoxanthin, and other carotenoids in marine microalgae. His work has advanced our understanding of the biosynthesis and evolution of photosynthetic pigments characteristic of marine algae. His research has been published as first author or co-first author in leading international journals, including Science, PNAS, and The Plant Cell. His research was selected as one of the Top Ten Scientific and Technological Advances in Oceanography and Limnology in China in 2023 (Second contributor). He also serves as a reviewer for scientific journals including New Phytologist, Plant Physiology, and Algal Research.

1.Biosynthesis oflight-harvesting pigments;

2. Algal energy metabolism and stress adaptation;

3. Development and application of microalgal chassis for synthetic biology.

Eucation:

2015–2019, Nanjing University, Ph.D. in Biology;

2012–2015,Hainan University, M.Sc. in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology;

2008–2012,Anqing Normal University, B.Sc. in Life Sciences.

Work Experience:

2026–Present, Shenzhen University of Advanced Technology, Assistant Professor;

2024–2026,Westlake University, Associate Researcher;

2021–2024,Westlake University, Assistant Researcher;

2019–2021, Westlake University, Postdoctoral Fellow.

Research Projects:

1.Young Scientists Fund (C Class), National Natural Science Foundation of China (NSFC), 2022–2025. Completed. Principal Investigator.

2.General Program of the China Postdoctoral Science Foundation, 2021. Completed. Principal Investigator.

3.National Key Research and Development Program of China, Ministry of Science and Technology of the People’s Republic of China, 2022–2027. Ongoing. Principal Investigator of a Subproject.

Selected publications:

1.Cao T*, Bai X, You T, Jiang Y, Lohr M, Li X*. An acetyltransferase family required for biosynthesis of diverse marine carotenoids. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 2026, 123(15): e2525772123.

2.Jiang Y#, Cao T#, Yang Y, Zhang H, Zhang J, Li X*. A chlorophyll c synthase widely co-opted by phytoplankton. Science, 2023, 382(6666): 92-98.

3.Cao T#, Bai Y#, Buschbeck P, Tan Q, Cantrell M, Chen Y, Jiang Y, Liu R, Ries N, Shi X, Sun Y, Ware M, Yang F, Zhang H, Han J, Zhang L, Huang J, Lohr M*, Peers G*, Li X*. An unexpected hydratase synthesizes the green light-absorbing pigment fucoxanthin. The Plant Cell, 2023, 35(8): 3053-3072.

4.Bai Y#, Cao T#, Dautermann O#, Buschbeck P, Cantrell M, Chen Y, Lein C, Shi X, Ware M, Yang F, Zhang H, Zhang L, Peers G*, Li X*, Lohr M*. Green diatom mutants reveal an intricate biosynthetic pathway of fucoxanthin. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 2022, 119(38): e2203708119.

5.Cao T, Wang L, Huang X, Deng Y, Yang L, Lu S*. Manipulation of Synechocystis sp. PCC 6803 as a platform for functional identification of genes involved in carotenoid metabolism. Plant Biotechnology Journal, 2020, 18(3): 605.

6.Li Y#, Cao T#, Guo Y, Grimm B, Li X*, Duanmu D*, Lin R*. Regulatory and retrograde signaling networks in the chlorophyll biosynthetic pathway. Journal of Integrative Plant Biology, 2025. 67(4): 887-911.

7.You T#, Yang Y#, Cao T, Wang L, Li X*. Algal carbon concentrating drives fatty acid biosynthesis beyond photosynthesis. Cell Reports, 2025, 44(10): 116436.

8.Zhang J, Cao T, Jiang Y, Feng Y, Guo K, Yang, J, Zhang, H, Li X*. Decreasing protein biotinylation background in a diatom facilitates proximity labeling of the periplastidial compartment proteome. The Plant Journal, 2025, 122(5): e70259.

9.Zhang H, Xiong X, Guo K, Zheng M, Cao T, Yang Y, Song J, Cen J, Zhang, J, Jiang Y, Feng S, Tian L, Li X*. A rapid aureochrome opto-switch enables diatom acclimation to dynamic light. Nature Communications, 2024, 15(1), 5578.