Cankui Zhang named University Faculty Scholar, seeks plant sustainability

Story by Ashvini Malshe

Photos by Tom Campbell

May 31, 2023

Cankui Zhang, associate professor of agronomy, is a recipient of the 2023 University Faculty Scholar award. He trusts that the award’s monetary gain will enable him to continue supporting his three graduate students.

“I love working with them and their contributions are vital,” Zhang says. He stresses the importance of conference travel and summer stipends for early career scientists.

Zhang is one of four faculty members from the College of Agriculture who received this distinction this year. The award recognizes faculty who are on an accelerated path for academic distinction in the discovery and dissemination of knowledge.

Zhang earned a Ph.D. in plant physiology and plant biotechnology from Auburn University. There, he studied the cold acclimation of citrus. Before joining Purdue, he was a research associate at Cornell University, studying the source-to-sink transport of sucrose across the phloem, or vascular tissue, in plants. This is a vital part of process that can lead to successful plant growth.

A member of the Center for Plant Biology and leader of the Plant Biotech Lab, Zhang’s current research focuses on plant vascular biology, long distance signaling and plant mineral molecular biology. Motivated by plant sustainability, he seeks to understand how plants respond when they don’t receive sufficient minerals. He adds, “Once we understand this, we’ll have the ability to engineer plants that can respond well under various conditions, from unfavorable to ideal.”

Zhang explains, “My long-term goal is to translate basic discoveries from research to crop improvement.” He and his team of students also seek to reduce the application of fertilizer in current farming processes, due to its negative environmental impact. For example, he cites Lake Erie as a waterbody where fertilizer and farming byproducts cause run off pollution, or contamination. According to the Environmental Protection Agency, Lake Erie “provides drinking water for 12 million people in the U.S. and Canada,” thus making Zhang’s research urgent.

“With this award, and our continued research, we’re aiming for two major outcomes: reducing the investment on fertilizer for farmers and the implementation of more sustainable farming practices,” Zhang adds.

Jianxin Ma, ISA Endowed Chair in Soybean Improvement and professor of agronomy, says of Zhang’s win: “Cankui has achieved prominence in the field of plant vascular biology at an early stage in his career. His program demonstrates an exceptional ability to push the boundaries of the fields of plant genetic transformation and gene editing in both model plant species and crops, where such technologies have yet to be fully established.”

Featured Stories

Two researchers seated at a conference table smile at the camera while holding nuts and trail mix.

Purdue researchers identify infrastructure and communication challenges as barriers to food safety in the low-moisture food industry

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — Low-moisture foods such as dried fruits, seeds, tree nuts and wheat...

The exterior of Stewart Center, located on Purdue University’s West Lafayette campus.

Moving at the speed of technology: Purdue to host the 2025 Pest Management Conference

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — Purdue University’s Center for Urban and Industrial Pest...

A silhouette of a man’s face in front of a computer screen displaying a UV map with green, yellow and red lines.

Purdue’s Institute for Digital and Advanced Agricultural Systems to cultivate innovation at upcoming panel and networking event

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — Purdue University’s Institute for Digital and Advanced...

Close up photo of soybean plant leaf, stem, and flower bunch

Advancements in genomic research reveal alternative transcription initiation sites in thousands of soybean genes

In 2010, Jianxin Ma, a professor of agronomy, and his collaborators built the first reference...

2024 BPP Research Showcase

Held on November 13 at the Beck Agricultural Center, the 2024 Research Showcase highlights...

2018 master's alumnus Daniel Bird sits at a computer; the cover art Bird created for the special Indigenous Wildlife Management in North America issue of The Journal of Wildlife Management

Master's Alum Daniel Bird Contributes to Indigenous Wildlife Management Journal Issue

Daniel Bird, who was raised on the Santo Domingo-Kewa Pueblo Reservation in New Mexico and is an...