Kai WANG, Associate Researcher at Shenzhen University of Advanced Technology (SUAT), received his Ph.D. in Life Science from the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST). He has conducted research at HKUST, Rice University (USA), and the University of Geneva (Switzerland), focusing on plant molecular biology, abiotic stress (mechanical stress), and vitamin metabolism. His current research centers on plant metabolism and nutritional biofortification, with an emphasis on establishing strawberry as a "chassis plant" for synthetic biology-based breeding system. Dr. Wang applied and received the 2025 NSFC Young Scientists Fund (Category C). In recent years, he has published 7 papers as first author/co-first author or corresponding author in leading international journals, including PNAS, Plant Biotechnology Journal, and Journal of Integrative Plant Biology, and has co-authored 15 SCI papers in total. He has been invited as a keynote speaker at the IAEA–Government of Pakistan Regional Training Course, and he currently serves as Associate Editor of Modern Agriculture (Wiley) and reviewer for journals such as The Plant Journal.

1. Research on plant metabolic network reprogramming and nutritional biofortification;

2. Breeding and application of strawberry as a "chassis plant" for synthetic biology.

Education:

2014-2019: The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, Ph.D. in Life Science (Supervisor: Prof. Ning Li);

2008-2013: Sun Yat-sen University, B.Sc. in Biotechnology (Supervisor: Assoc. Prof. Qiuyun Liu).

Work Experience:

2024.11-Present: Shenzhen University of Advanced Technology, Associate Researcher (Prof. Zhongchi Liu's group);

2020.07-2024.10: University of Geneva, Department of Plant Sciences, Postdoctoral Fellow (Prof. Teresa B. Fitzpatrick's group);

2019.08-2020.02: The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, Division of Life Science, Assistant Researcher (Prof. Ning Li's group);

2017.12-2018.02: Rice University, USA, Short-term Visiting Scholar.

Conference Presentations and Academic Awards:

1. 2025.10: Regional Training Course on Advanced Mutation Breeding Techniques for Improvement of Nutritional Quality, organized by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and the Government of Pakistan, Keynote Speaker;

2. 2024.11：Sun Yat-sen University Centennial Celebration Alumni Forum — Agriculture and Ecology Forum, Invited Speaker;

3. 2019： Hong Kong Inter-University Postgraduate Symposium in Biochemical Sciences, Speaker;

4. 2019: 2018/19 School of Science Postgraduate Research Excellence Award, Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKD 20,000).

Research Projects:

1. Young Scientists Fund (C Class), National Natural Science Foundation of China (NSFC), 2026–2028, Approved;

2. General Program, National Natural Science Foundation of China (NSFC), (2019–2022, Completed), Participant;

3. General Program, National Natural Science Foundation of China (NSFC), (2016–2019, Completed), Participant.

Selected publications:

1. (First author and co-corresponding, IF9.3) Wang, K.^1* & Liu, Z.^* (2025). Plant synthetic biology-based biofortification, strategies and recent progresses. Journal of Integrative Plant Biology (DOI:10.1111/jipb.13934).

2. (First author, IF6.9) Wang, K.¹, Alric, J., and Fitzpatrick, T.^*(2025). Thiamine triphosphate tunes the activation state of plastid ATP synthase. Plant Physiology. Accepted.

3. (Co-first author, IF10.5) Fitzpatrick, T.¹, Dalvit, I.¹, Chang, F.¹, Wang, K.¹, Fudge, J., Chang, S., Maillot, B., Gruissem, W.* (2024). Vitamin B1 enhancement in the endosperm of rice through thiamine sequestration. Plant Biotechnology Journal, 22 (8), 2330.

4. (Co-first author，IF5.7) Liu, Z.¹, Farkas, P.¹, Wang, K.¹, Kohli, M. O., & Fitzpatrick, T. B.^* (2022). B‐vitamin supply in plants and humans: the importance of vitamer homeostasis. The Plant Journal, 111(3), 662-682.

5. (Co-first author，IF11.1) Wang, K.¹, Yang, Z.¹, Qing, D.¹, Ren, F.¹, Liu, S., Zheng, Q., ... & Li, N.* (2018). Quantitative and functional posttranslational modification proteomics reveals that TREPH1 plays a role in plant touch-delayed bolting. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 115(43), E10265-E10274.

6. (First author) Wang, K.¹, Law, K., Leung, M., Wong, W., & Li, N.^* (2019). A Labor-saving and Repeatable Touch-force Signaling Mutant Screen Protocol for the Study of Thigmomorphogenesis of a Model Plant Arabidopsis thaliana. JoVE (Journal of Visualized Experiments), (150), e59392.

7. Wu, K., Yang, N., Ren, J., Liu, S., Wang, K., Dai, S., Lu, Y., An, Y., Tian, F., Gao, Z., Yang, Z., Zhang, Y., Yu, W., Li, N.^* (2025). Cytosolic WPRa4 and Plastoskeletal PMI4 Proteins Mediate Touch Response in a Model Organism Arabidopsis. Molecular & Cellular Proteomics, 101015.

8. Yang, N., Ren, J., Dai, S., Wang, K., Leung, M., ... & Li, N.^* (2024). The Quantitative Biotinylproteomics Studies Reveal a WInd-Related Kinase 1 (WIRK1) Functioning as An Early Signaling Component in Wind-induced Thigmomorphogenesis and Gravitropism. Molecular & Cellular Proteomics, 100738.

9. Noordally, Z., Land, L., Trichtinger, C., Dalvit, I., de Meyer, M., Wang, K., & Fitzpatrick, T. B. ^* (2023). Clock and riboswitch control of THIC in tandem are essential for appropriate gauging of TDP levels under light/dark cycles in Arabidopsis. iScience, 26(3).

10. Pesquera, M., Martinez, J., Maillot, B., Wang, K., ... & Fitzpatrick, T. B.^* (2022). Structural and functional studies of Arabidopsis thaliana triphosphate tunnel metalloenzymes reveal roles for additional domains. Journal of Biological Chemistry, 298(11).

11. Xing, M., Li, X., An, S., Lan, C.,... Wang, K., Ye, Z., Wen, S., Liu, Q., He, J., & Zhou, W. (2021). Anticancer nanometre-biomissiles carrying a leucine insulator and an antibody complementarity-determining region. Current Science, 120(1), 177.