On August 12th, broiling heat still haunted Wuhan University (WHU), although the summer had come to a close along with the end of the new instrument installment in academician Zhang Lina’s laboratory.
On the fourth floor in the School of Chemistry and Molecular Sciences, it is likely to be overtaken by the sounds of instruments and the smell of chemical reagent. The post-doctoral lab and office covers an area of about 40 m2, shared by three people with glass partitions. Here, French postdoctor Sophie Bedel is reading materials in front of the computer. She looks tall and beautiful in her purple t-shirt and blue jeans, full of youth and energy.
Sophie is a PhD in chemistry and polymer science from the Eleventh University of Paris, with application and industrialization as her research orientation. “The massive fundamental research, application and development of chitin, chitosan and cellulose are what my research requires, and are also what academician Zhang’s lab excels in,” Sophie therefore applied online for a postdoctor under Zhang.
Zhang pioneered a new technique to water-solubilize high polymer under low temperatures. This “magical formula” opened a green door to the preparation and development of new functional materials from biomass waste such as chitin and cellulose. The technique also brought her the Anselme Payen Award from the American Chemical Society in 2011 and made her the first Chinese recipient of this award for half a century. Her team also became a world renowned research group in the field of cellulosic materials. Young researchers from Britain, France, Japan, Swiss, India, Malaysia and some other countries with their dream of scientific innovation, joined Zhang’s team for post-doctoral work or short-term training.
“Half a year ago, Sophie handed in her application. At the very beginning, I didn’t take it seriously, but then her sincerity touched me during our further communication,” hence, Zhang Lina accepted her application with pleasure.
Zhang Lina and Sophie are discussing the research plan
Six days of work a week with a 9-to-21 daily schedule, this is typical of Zhang’s lab and all members should report their work in the group meeting regularly. Moreover, communication and instructions are usually provided on the research process by Zhang to her 28 graduates.
Although it is only the third week that Sophie has been in WHU, she adapted to the work in the lab pretty well. “Sophie is diligent, strong, and dedicated at work regardless of the weather”, her attitude gained Zhang’s acceptance and appreciation. More crucially however, her research orientation coincides with the trend of technological innovation in the Hubei Province.
Sophie confesses that research on the new chitin biomedical materials is really a huge challenge as she is exposed to more new knowledge everyday. “I will find solutions to offset these difficulties. It is a great honor to work for academician Zhang’s lab, where I believe I can acquire something new.”
Zhang Lina says, there are no more requirements than diligence in the selection of her research group members. “No one can graduate without good research achievements”. Upon their entry, Zhang teaches the freshmen how to master necessary scientific knowledge and how to obey scientific morality. “I will tell them how to read and take notes, how to design research methods, how to conduct research and how to write a paper.”
When it comes to her impression on Wuhan University, Sophie describes it as large as “ a city within a city”, where many possibilities exist for her to come across. “By now, I can only communicate in English; maybe in the future, I can learn some Chinese for daily use.”
At the end of the interview, Zhang Lina suggests, Gregory F. Payn, a renowned American scientist, said during his last visit here, “I am looking forward to more of your achievements next year with many excellent papers with new instruments.”
Sophie is conducting an experiment with a microscope under Zhang’s instruction
(Rewritten by Shen Yuxi, edited by Edmund & Hu Sijia)
