May 30, 2023 marked the 7th National Science and Technology Workers Day. The 10th Hainan Province Youth Science and Technology Award ceremony was held at the same time. With excitement and gratitude, Zhang Jiachao, the 37-year-old Vice Principal of the School of Food Science and Engineering of Hainan University, Deputy Director of the Engineering Center for Tropical Polysaccharide Resources Utilization of the Ministry of Education, walked up to the podium to receive the honor of the 10th Hainan Province Youth Science and Technology Award.
What kind of breakthroughs can a young researcher achieve by eight years of undistracted work? From an experimental bench of 7 square meters to an exclusive laboratory; from one person to a team of 30 people; from completing the Ph.D. program and embarking on the road of tropical probiotics research, to winning the title of “Excellent Youth” by the National Natural Science Foundation Committee. Eight years may not be a long time, but the process of “riding the wind and breaking the waves” has given Zhang a deeper understanding of the significance of scientific research.
Back in 2007, Zhang joined the team of Prof. Zhang Heping, a probiotic researcher, and got to know probiotics and fell in love with probiotic research. Sixteen years of living with probiotics has been a joyful experience for him and the best motivation for him to keep his curiosity and keep exploring nature.
“The process of preliminary exploration has been accompanied by a large number of failures, from which we can only continue to draw lessons and make adjustments about the direction of our experiment.” Zhang Jiachao said.
Zhang Jiachao guiding students in scientific research
Zhang Jiachao encouraged his team to share literature reading experience, try new methods and ways of thinking, and propose new ideas from different angles.
Due to the uniqueness of Hainan’s tropical probiotic resources, after setting foot on the island in 2015, Zhang led his team to overcome communication barriers and went deep into various cities, counties and even remote villages in Hainan to find the most ancient traditional fermented products, isolate the microbial resources from them, and screen probiotics with good efficacy as the research objects.
“We should not overreach, but focus on our own field, go deep, be meticulous, and become ‘a big expert in a small field’.” This is Zhang’s scientific research philosophy and the principle followed by his team. “Prof. Zhang often tells us that we are in the best era of scientific and technological innovation, and we should do real research.” Doctoral student Han Zhe told reporters.
“As a science and technology worker, we should have diligence in both body and brain, cultivate the ability of independent thinking, develop a keen perception of our professional field, and learn to raise scientific questions and solve scientific problems by ourselves.” Zhang admonished his students in this way, and, in fact, reminded himself to keep moving.
If one keeps on traveling, they will finally meet the beautiful scenery. At present, Zhang Jiachao, as the first/corresponding author, has published more than 60 SCI papers, applied for 12 national invention patents. His project “Probiotics and Intestinal Flora Interaction Effects and Mechanism” has been awarded the 2022 National “Excellent Youth” Program.
Facing the major strategic needs of the country and the construction of Hainan Free Trade Port, Hainan University has deepened the reform of the scientific research and education system, coordinated organized scientific research, seeking to build a national platform, planning major projects, cultivating first-class talents and producing first-class results. In response, Zhang Jiachao’s team has been working to strengthen basic research and transform laboratory technology into real-life products.
In addition, there is good news that a probiotic product developed by Zhang Jiachao’s team has recently been adopted by a department of the Chinese Navy to provide health protection for personnel working on long voyages. The joy of success has greatly boosted the morale of Zhang Jiachao and his team members.
In the promising new era, we should embrace simplicity, build up our resilience, and become a person to be admired. The interview ended in a hurry as Prof. Zhang Jiachao rushed to the next academic seminar.
