Faculty

Education

2001 - 2006, M.S. & Ph.D., Molecular, Cellular and Developmental Biology, Yale University
1997 - 2001, B.S., Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Peking University

Professional Experience

2021 - present, Boya Distinguished Professor, School of Life Sciences, Peking University
2021 - present, Professor, Center for Quantitative Biology, Peking University
2021 - present, Investigator, Peking University - Tsinghua University Center for Life Sciences
2015 - 2021, Adjunct Professor, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences
2021, Head, Center for Genome Biology, Institute of Genetics and Developmental Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences
2016 - 2020, Vice Head, Center for Genome Biology, Institute of Genetics and Developmental Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences
2010 - 2021, Investigator, Institute of Genetics and Developmental Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences
2006 - 2010, Postdoctoral Fellow, Division of Biology, California Institute of Technology

Honors and Awards

Science and Technology Award for Chinese Youth, China Association for Science and Technology, 2020
Distinguished Young Scientist Award, Chinese Society for Plant Biologists, 2019
Distinguished Young Scholar, National Natural Science Foundation of China, 2019
VCANBIO Award for Innovations and Breakthroughs in Life Sciences and Medicine, 2018
Newton Advanced Fellowship, Royal Society of the UK, 2018
National High-level Personnel of Special Support Program, Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security, 2018
Young and Middle-aged Leading Scientists, Engineers and Innovators, Ministry of Science and Technology, 2017
CAS Distinguished Research Fellow, 2016
National Program for Support of Top-Notch Young Professionals, Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security, 2015
Excellence Award, CAS Hundred Talents Program, 2015
Yihai Kerry Excellence in Mentoring Award, IGDB, 2014
Excellent Young Scientists Fund Scholar, National Natural Science Foundation of China, 2013
SCOPUS Young Researcher Award in Life Sciences, 2012
Hundred Talents Program, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 2011
NSF US/German Research Exchange Opportunity Program Fellowship, 2010
John Spangler Nicholas Prize for Outstanding Doctoral Candidate in Biology, Yale University, 2007
Chinese Government Award for Outstanding Students Abroad , 2005
Joseph F. Cullman, Jr. Fellowship, Yale University, 2002

Porfessional Society Affiliations

2020 - 2024, Director, Multinational Arabidopsis Steering Committee
2016 - present, China Representative, Multinational Arabidopsis Steering Committee
2020 - present, President, Society for Plant Cell Biology, Chinese Society for Cell Biology
2020 - present, Vice Chair, Junior PI Committee, Chinese Society for Cell Biology
2016 - 2019, Vice President, Society for Plant Organogenesis, Chinese Society for Cell Biology
2018 - 2021, Advisory Committee Member, Arabidopsis Biological Resources Center
2013 - present, Member, Committee for Structure & Reproductive Biology, Botanical Society of China
2013 - present, Member, Youth Work Committee, Chinese Society for Plant Biology

Editorial Activities

2020 - present, Guest Editor/Reviewing Editor/Senior Editor, Plant Cell
2022 - present, Subject Editor, Physiologia Plantarum
2024 - present, Associate Editor, Plant Cell & Environment
2024 - present, Associate Editor, Seed Biology
2024 - present, Advisory Board Member, Developmental Cell
2025 - present, Advisory Board Member, Current Opinion in Plant Biology
2020 - present, Associate Editor, Quantitative Plant Biology

The Jiao Lab studies the mechanisms of morphogenesis during plant development and explores the applications of synthetic biotechnology. Specific research directions include:

1. Emergence of Form
While our understanding of molecular machinery such as genes and proteins is relatively advanced, we know much less about how they assemble, coordinate, and ultimately give rise to tissues and organs. The establishment of three-dimensional morphology not only shapes the diversity observed in nature but also underlies the functional capacity of organs. Through local interactions among numerous simple components, novel properties or patterns can emerge at the system level. By integrating mathematical modeling and quantitative experiments, we aim to elucidate how the "emergence" of genes and proteins determines the morphology of plant shoots, with the long-term goal of enabling the design and customization of organ forms.

2. Plant Synthetic Biotechnology
As our understanding of biological processes deepens, we are increasingly able to modify living systems. We explore modifiable components and pathways in plants to develop novel synthetic biotechnologies. On one hand, we focus on plant genome and chromosome engineering, establishing synthetic genomics technologies to reconstruct genomes and create transformative chassis platforms for genetic engineering. On the other hand, we work on rewiring signaling pathways and on synthesizing pharmaceuticals and industrial products, thereby advancing the engineering and application of plant-based chassis systems.

REVIEWS
1. Lan, T., Chen, L.-G., Wang, Y.* and Jiao, Y.* (2025) Genome synthesis in plants. Nat. Rev. Bioeng. 3: 875–889.

2. Du, F., Guan, C. and Jiao, Y. (2018) Molecular mechanisms of leaf morphogenesis. Mol. Plant 11: 1117–1134.

3. Wang, Y. and Jiao, Y. (2018) Axillary meristem initiation — a way to branch out. Curr. Opin. Plant Biol. 41: 61–66.

RESEACH ARTICLES
1. Chen, L.-G., Lan, T., Zhang, S., Zhao, M., Luo, G., Gao, Y., Zhang, Y., Du, Q., Lu, H., Li, B., Jiao, B., Hu, Z., Ma, Y., Zhao, Q., Wang, Y.*, Qian, W.*, Dai, J.* and Jiao, Y.* (2024) A designer synthetic chromosome fragment functions in moss. Nat. Plants 10: 228–239.

2. Cao, X., Du, Q., Guo, Y., Wang, Y.* and Jiao, Y.* (2023) Condensation of STM is critical for shoot meristem maintenance and salt tolerance in Arabidopsis. Mol. Plant 16: 1445–1459.

3. Wang, Q., Marconi, M., Guan, C., Wabnik, K.* and Jiao, Y.* (2022) Polar auxin transport modulates early leaf flattening. Proc. Natl Acad. Sci. USA 119: e2215569119.

4. Peng Z, Alique D, Xiong Y, Hu J, Cao X, Lü S, Long M, Wang Y, Wabnik K.* and Jiao, Y.* (2022) Differential growth dynamics control aerial organ geometry. Curr. Biol. 32: 4854–4868.e5.

5. Wang Y, Du F, Wang J, Wang K, Tian C, Qi X, Lu F, Liu X, Ye X, and Jiao, Y.* (2022) Improving bread wheat yield through modulating an unselected AP2/ERF gene. Nat. Plants 8: 930–939.

6. Guan C, Qiao L, Xiong Y, Zhang L* and Jiao, Y.* (2022) Coactivation of antagonistic genes stabilizes polarity patterning during shoot organogenesis. Sci. Adv. 8: eabn0368.

7. Xu, M., Du, Q., Tian, C., Wang, Y.* and Jiao, Y.* (2021) Stochastic gene expression drives mesophyll protoplast regeneration. Sci. Adv. 7: abg8466.

8. Zhao, F., Du, F., Oliveri, H., Zhou, L., Ali, O., Chen, W., Feng, S., Wang, Q., Lü, S., Long, M., Schneider, R., Sampathkumar, A., Godin, C., Traas, J.* and Jiao, Y.* (2020) Microtubule-mediated wall anisotropy contributes to leaf blade flattening. Curr. Biol. 30: 3972–3985.e6.
Highlighted with a Dispatch article in Curr. Biol. 30: R1268–R1270.