I have been studied and worked in the School of Biomedical Sciences for more than 6 years, and it has been a wonderful experience that will forever be held in my heart. In 2011, I obtained my Ph.D. from the School of Biomedical Sciences (SBS), and then returned to my hometown of Lanzhou in Gansu Province to work at Northwest Normal University. From 2014 to 2017, I returned to the School of Biomedical Sciences and completed my postdoctoral training. Since then, I have been actively involved as a professor and supervisor of Ph.D. students and am currently the Dean of the College of Life Sciences at Northwest Normal University.

The motto of the Chinese University of Hong Kong is “Through learning and temperance to virtue”, while the Northwest Normal University, where I am currently working, follows the motto “Toward a Perfection of Character and Learning”. I really appreciate the motto of both universities as it emphasises the need for knowledge and uniformity of behaviour. I have worked tirelessly to embody the unity of knowledge and action and strive to become an excellent researcher and educator. Through my efforts, I would like to make a significant contribution to the advancement of scientific research and education in the western region of China.

I established the first zebrafish research laboratory in northwest China and did a series of works to discover new hormones and study their function in animal development. For example, we have worked to establish a zebrafish model to study vertebrate ovarian development (Molecular and Cellular Endocrinology, invited review, 2020). Using the zebrafish as a model, we have discovered the involvement of a new type of programmed cell death – cell pyroptosis – in ovulation (Cell Discovery, 2021). We have also revealed the function of the novel insulin-like growth factor Igf3 in ovarian development (Biology of Reproduction, review, 2021). In addition to these successes, we have recently identified a previously unknown hormone secreted by germ cells. This hormone regulates food intake, glucose metabolism and ovarian development in fish and we have named it Gonacin (iScience, 2023). Moving forward, I will continue to work on the discovery and functional analysis of new hormones and eventually apply them in production practice.

Dr. Li JIanzhen