50 young scientists from different institutes of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) have been listed in early June to be funded by the CAS Excellent Young Scientist Program. Dr. Fan Zexin of Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanical Garden (XTBG) is luckily included in the list.

Fan Zexin’s research interests include dendroclimatology, forest dynamics, wood anatomy, and tree physiology. Over the past few years, he conducted innovative studies on environmental and climate history during the past centuries in the Hengduan Mountains (SW China) derived from tree rings. He also made achievements in research on functional traits and ecological strategies of tropical trees. He has made his research results published in such academic journals of Journal of Ecology, International Journal of Climatology, Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology, Global and Planetary Change, Forest Ecology and Management, etc.

Initiated in 2014, the CAS Excellent Young Scientist Program is a talent training program to promote implementation of Strategic Priority Program of CAS. It mainly supports young scientists who are aged less than 35 and have obtained certain research achievements with creative ideas. The tenure is 3 years, with financial support of RMB1.2-2.4 million per person. They are expected to play a leading role in future scientific research.