Supported by a Fulbright Junior Research Award, I spent a fruitful year in the U.S. and Switzerland. My project was to explore the nature and the evolution of the earth's atmosphere, and how it affects our lives. It was a great experience that broadened my academic and personal horizons.

I am glad to have lived at HKUST for 5 years. I enjoyed my campus life so much as HKUST has fantastic scenery, including lots of green and a great sea view. Also, HKUST is a very efficient campus so students can quickly walk from one place to another, get immediate responses from offices, and meet frequently with supervisors. Lastly, I was surrounded by many nice people including talented students, creative faculty and friendly department staff.

I joined the Bioengineering Program in HKUST as a PhD student after graduation from the Department of Chemical Engineering, Tsinghua University in 2010. My research area is engineering microorganisms for novel applications in biofuel and bioproduction. I enjoyed the international exposure HKUST provided to the postgraduate students including overseas conferences and interdisciplinary collaborations with other departments and universities.

The supportive learning environment offered at HKUST has allowed me to explore knowledge and to apply it in order to improve the lives of ordinary people. It gives me great satisfaction, a feeling beyond words. I hope everyone who reads this can follow their dreams as I have!