Choon Kiat Lim BSc (Hons), MRes, AHEA

School: College of Life and Environmental Sciences
Research Centre/Unit: Plant Science & Systems Biology

Environmental constraint (abiotic & biotic stress) is a contributing factor to low productivity in crops and subsequently causes famine and low income among poor farmers in the developing world. During my undergraduate degree, my lecture on phytochemistry and the final year project in plant antioxidant prompted me to become interested and committed in Plant Science research. My intention to carry out research in plant stress responses arose after I saw a Pulitzer Prize winning photo in an email message: it illustrated a starving child who was crawling to the rescue centre while being stalked by a preying vulture. This provoked the following questions: why there are people still living in such deplorable situation, with basic rights for food being neglected? What can I do as a future scientist? This was further reinforced during my time as a part-time waiter witnessing people wasting food without concern.

My principal research interest lies in the field of plant stress (abiotic and biotic) and the tolerance mechanisms involved. I am currently investigating the functions of apoplastic enzyme, ascorbate oxidase in development and stress responses. In addition, by using computational modelling, I intend to understand and to discover possible unknown functions of the ascorbate and glutathione redox cycle at systems level.