Program Results

Introduction to the event

As a Yushan Young Fellow, Dr. Po-An Lin has established a strong interdisciplinary program at National Taiwan University (NTU) addressing plant–insect–environment interactions under climate stress. His work directly supports NTU’s strategic priorities and the Higher Education SPROUT Project, with the overarching aim of promoting climate-resilient farming systems. In the first two years, Dr. Lin advanced three major objectives: (1)expanding germplasm resources and creating databases of stomatal and volatile traits for stress-resilient crops; (2) conducting multi-season ecological trials to understand how water availability shapes insect communities and crop performance; and (3) integrating water and weed management into pest management strategies. These efforts have generated key findings, including correlations between soil moisture, weed management, and insect biodiversity, as well as a top-tier review publication on water and pest management.

His achievements include five international publications, keynote or invited talks at five major conferences (e.g., ICE 2024, Gordon Research Conference 2025), and the establishment of new research infrastructure such as a volatile collection system and an NSTCfunded LI-6800 photosynthesis device. His lab now trains 2 PhD students, 5 master’s students, 12 undergraduates, 2 postdocs, and 2 assistants, contributing to capacity-building at NTU.

Internationalization has been a central focus: he has built strong collaborations with Michigan State University, Université de Bordeaux, NARO (Japan), Harvard University, and others. These partnerships have enabled joint projects, visiting scholar exchanges, and training opportunities abroad, laying the groundwork for future dual-degree and joint training programs. Supported by NTU’s robust financial, personnel, and infrastructure resources, Dr. Lin’s work has enhanced NTU’s visibility in climate-smart agriculture, produced practical recommendations for sustainable farming, and fostered globally connected research networks. These contributions significantly strengthen NTU’s leadership in addressing global food security and environmental challenges.