Zhikang Wang (王志康)

With his great interest in biology and ecology, Zhikang chose forestry as his major at Nanjing Forestry University and subsequently obtained his master's degree in the research group of Prof. Xiangxiang Fu at NFU. During this period, he investigated the effects of bio-fertilizer on plant metabolism and soil fertility, where the plant-soil-microbes interactions and the application of microbial products motivated him to study microbial ecology. Hence, he continued his Ph.D. journey with the promoters Prof. Eiko E. Kuramae and Prof. George A. Kowalchuk at NIOO-KNAW and Utrecht University in the Netherlands. He focused on the impacts of microbial inoculants on the resident microbiome and how their interactions affect the performance of plants and soil. The potential of soil-resident microbes is far more important than he expected. And now he dedicates himself to finding out how to exploit the power of native species to achieve sustainable development.