1. What do you study related to biodiversity (what are your research questions, what organisms do you work on)?
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 I study the diversity, classification, and conservation of flowering plants, and the diversification of plants across geographic space on a global scale (global biogeography). In the past 15 years, I have studied extensively on a classical biogeographic problem: the discontinuous distribution of plants between Asia and North America.
Currently, I focus my work on the diversity and biogeography of Asian plants. We have discovered various new plants from Asia, and are exploring how plants have diversified across the vast region of Asia. Our study is one of the very first to analyze major biogeographic patterns of Asia using modern molecular and phylogenetic approaches. Our results will be vitally important for conserving the biodiversity of Asia.
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2. How do you study biodiversity (for example, what technological tools and methodologies do you use in your research)?
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Our research has successfully incorporated classical field explorations, modern DNA molecular technologies, and cutting-edge theories of phylogenetics and biogeography. We have traveled to various biodiversity hotspots in Asia and worked closely with local collaborators to study the diversity in the field at the morphological and ecological levels.
We develop initial hypotheses on the biodiversity based on our field observations. We then bring research samples to our laboratories at the Museum and conduct in-depth DNA analyses of the samples. The DNA sequences are then used to test and refine our initial hypotheses or we formulate new hypotheses based on the new data.
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3. Where do you study biodiversity?
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We conduct our research mostly in various countries/regions in Asia, such as China, India, Thailand, Vietnam, and the Himalayas. We also conduct comparative analyses of plants in the New World and Europe.
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4. How might your research have implications for biological conservation?
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Our results help develop biogeographic models of Asia. The major areas of endemism (biogeographic units) we identify are important to develop conservation strategies and prioritize conservation decisions with limited resources available at present.
My laboratory has also studied the conservation of medicinal plants in Asia, especially the ginseng plant family, using ecological and DNA molecular approaches. Furthermore, we have discovered more than 10 new species, one new genus, and various new distributional records. This type of baseline data is also important for conservation planning.
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5. How did you become interested in science? What made you want to be a scientist, and how did you get to The Field Museum?
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I grew up with a fascination for plants. My grandfather was an herbal doctor in China and he took me to collect many medicinal herbs and taught me the names and uses of the plants we encountered in our journeys.
When I was in college, I also met a wonderful botany professor who took me to various mountains and opened my eyes to the vast diversity of plants. One day hiking in the mountains, I wondered how these plants could come together and live in this mountain harmoniously. That was the day that I decided to devote myself to be a scientist to study the evolutionary diversification of plants.
I love to travel to learn about plants, their associated habitats, and work with people of many different cultures. I have felt extremely satisfied to find the plants I was searching for, to learn about their evolutionary history, and to find ways to conserve them eventually. I have also enjoyed working with many excellent and encouraging colleagues in my career.
I came to the Field Museum in 2000. Prior to my move, I was an assistant professor at Colorado State University. My husband was getting transferred to Chicago. At the time The Field Museum had a position open, which seemed to fit me ideally. The Field Museum has been one of the most prestigious institutions in systematic biology. I have felt lucky to be part of this great institution
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6. Describe important collaborations for your scientific endeavors (describe your work with other researchers, organizations, or scientific groups, local or indigenous peoples, etc.)
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In Asia, I work closely with scientists, local botanists, and students in various countries. I am also an adjunct professor at the Institute of Botany of the Chinese Academy of Sciences in Beijing. I have worked closely with botanists in India as well, and I was recently recognized as an honorary member of the Indian Association of Angiosperm Taxonomy. I also collaborate closely with colleagues in the U.S.
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