Yung-fen Huang PhD

Dr. Yung-Fen Huang obtained her PhD degree in plant genetics and genomics from Universite Montpellier II, France in December 2011. She graduated from National Yang-Ming University in Taipei with a B.S. degree in life science. In the course of her graduate studies in France, she developed her interest in understanding the genetic basis of trait variation, especially for crop-breeding purposes. She did her thesis for the master's degree on the genetic basis of maize yield-related traits through QTL mapping under the supervision of Dr. Alain Charcosset and Dr. Laurence Moreau. For her PhD project, she employed an integrated approach to understanding the genetic origin of grape proanthocyanidin variation by combining quantitative genetics and functional biology with Dr. Patrice This and Dr. Nancy Terrier in Institut National de la Recherche Agronomique in Montpellier. She found it quite exciting to trace the genetic origin of phenotypic variation from a large chromosomal region to a single-gene level. Yung-Fen hopes to go back to Asia after acquiring sufficient post-doctoral training in order to work on the reduction of poverty and hunger through research as well as training others who are interested in the field.