Professor Alex Wai, President and Vice-Chancellor of HKBU (center) poses for a photo with Dr Di Xueni (right) and her supervisor, Professor Liao Pan (left) from the Department of Biology
Researchers from Hong Kong Baptist University (HKBU) are committed to advancing research translation and generating societal impact by transforming innovative scientific discoveries into practical applications.
In April, The Hong Kong Jockey Club held its annual Scholarships and Fellowships Award Presentation Ceremony and High Table Dinner to celebrate the achievements of the scholars, fellows and professors in the 2024/25 cohort. Dr Di Xueni, a Postdoctoral Research Fellow in the Department of Biology, was recognised as one of ten JC STEM Early Career Research Fellowswith her project “Enhancing Isoprenoid Production in Microbial Biofactories”.
Dr Di Xueni (front row, 1st from left), Postdoctoral Research Fellow in the Department of Biology has been awarded the JC STEM Early Career Research Fellowship for Translation and Application
by The Hong Kong Jockey Club Charities Trust ( Photo courtesy of the Hong Kong Jockey Club)
The events provided a valuable opportunity to celebrate the prestigious achievements of Dr Di and other awardees, and allowed them to hold wide-ranging discussions with the International Expert Review Panel and globally renowned researchers on trends in translating research into practical applications in Hong Kong and beyond.
Professor Alex Wai, President and Vice-Chancellor of HKBU; Professor Liao Pan from the Department of Biology of the HKBU Faculty of Science; and Dr Zhou Jian, from the Department of Chemistry and a JC STEM Early Career Research Fellow from the 2023/24 cohort, also attended the presentation ceremony to celebrate the achievements of Dr Di.
Dr Di Xueni (left) and Professor Liao Pan (right) join the high table dinner with other awardees after the award presentation ceremony
Dr Di has been developing sustainable biotechnology through metabolic engineering, focusing on the methylerythritol phosphate (MEP) pathway to significantly enhance isoprenoid production in microbial biofactories.
Her project aims to increase isoprenoids production. A valuable group of natural compounds, isoprenoids are widely used in medicines, biofuels, and food products because of their health-promoting and therapeutic properties. However, producing them is often difficult and expensive because of their complex structures, and she endeavours to solve this by improving a key MEP pathway, which is expected to enable cheaper, greener, and more sustainable production methods to meet the growing demand for these important compounds.
Dr Di believes that the fellowship, combined with HKBU’s dynamic research environment, biotechnology expertise, state-of-the-art laboratories, extensive local and international collaborations, and supportive mentorship, will enable her to conduct high-impact research, and make a significant contribution to the field of biotechnology. She hopes to collaborate with industry partners and academics to drive innovation in metabolic engineering and synthetic biology, developing solutions to global challenges.
Established by The Hong Kong Jockey Club in 2024, the JC STEM Early Career Research Fellowship for Translation and Application provides comprehensive support to help fellows in their research careers, expand their professional networks, and drive social impact. In order to lay a solid pipeline of innovation and technology talent, the scheme awards up to ten fellowships per cohort in a highly competitive selection process overseen by an International Expert Review Panel.
