Rate My Professor Zhe Ji

Dr Zhe (Luke) Ji is a Postdoctoral Research Associate in the Department of Biology at the University of Oxford and is affiliated with the Calleva Research Centre at Magdalen College. He completed his undergraduate studies in Biological Sciences at the University of Oxford. He subsequently obtained his DPhil degree from the University of Oxford and continued his research as a postdoc with Prof. Nicholas Harberd, during which the evolutionary trajectory of the interaction specificity between two key components of the gibberellin signalling pathway in land plants was elucidated. He maintains a longstanding collaboration with Nanjing Agricultural University in China investigating the molecular mechanisms underlying differences in root system architecture and nitrogen use efficiency among rice subspecies.

Currently working with Prof. Lars Østergaard, Dr Ji is investigating how and why the pea plant (Pisum sativum) produces a chlorinated form of the plant hormone auxin during pod development. His main research interests lie in plant hormone signalling and nutrient-use efficiency. The ultimate goal of this project is to enhance pea pod development and apply the acquired insights to improve the cultivation of other legume crops.