Dr Bo Eng Cheong: Humans of BioSciences

Meet Dr Bo Eng Cheong who just completed her PhD at the University of Melbourne in the Roessner Lab in the School of BioSciences, including one year based in Germany at the Max Planck Institute of Molecular Plant Physiology. In addition to having a deep passion for understanding plants better, Bo Eng is an avid shopper.

Who are you and what problem were you trying to solve with your PhD research?

I came to the School of BioSciences four years ago from Sabah, Malaysia to pursue my PhD study in the investigation of the responses of wheat and model plant Arabidopsis thaliana to cold temperatures, using a range of transcriptomic, metabolomic and proteomic profiling approaches.

What inspired you to pursue plant science as a career and what do you hope to do in the future?

I love plants and think that plants are much smarter than we think they are. They are sessile organisms, permanently restricted to one site and exposed to various abiotic and biotic stresses. Yet, they still can survive and reproduce successfully. How do they achieve that? What kind of mechanisms have they developed and used? I have had a deep interest to learn more about it since my undergraduate degree.

My birthplace is Sabah, also known as the North Borneo Island which is a region that is rich in biodiversity. Sabah has 15,000 plant species and one of the amazing plants that you can find in North Borneo Island is Rafflesia, which is the largest flower in the world. I am currently a lecturer and researcher in the Biotechnology Research Institute, University of Malaysia Sabah. I am so grateful that I can do research on plants derived from Borneo Island using the something I have learned during my PhD, for example applied omics.

You did a component of your PhD in Germany at the Max Planck Institute of Molecular Plant Physiology (MPIMP) in Germany. How did the experience impact your research, was it enriching or challenging?

I spent the second year of my PhD working with Dr. Joachim Kopka and his team at MPIMP in Germany (see group photo below). I not only learned various technical laboratory skills, but also developed skills in how to analyse and interpret data critically. I believe the development of critical thinking and problem solving skills are two big tasks for a PhD candidate: big thanks to Dr. Joachim and his fantastic team! I also enjoyed working at MPIMP very much. I think MPIMP has the most amazing facilities to support plant research in the world! Nevertheless, living in Golm (where MPIMP is located) was sometimes challenging. It is a small town with simple amenities which didn’t always suit a crazy shopper like me 😂.

What was your most fun or outlandish experience during your PhD?  

For me, the most enjoyable experience during my PhD study was the people I met - I value the people I met more important than my project. I am so grateful and thank God for granting me a chance to meet with such wonderful people during my PhD journey. Prof. Ute Roessner and the team members from BioSciences, UniMelb; Dr. Joachim Kopka and team members from MPIMP, and Dr. Rudy Dolferus and team members from CSIRO. Without their kind assistance and support, I think I wouldn't be able to walk through  the four years of my PhD.

What do you enjoy doing outside of science for fun and relaxation? Have you picked up any new hobbies during the pandemic?

I have only two hobbies in my life. The first one is travelling and the second one is shopping. Due to the pandemic and current lockdown in my place, I have to postpone my travelling plan to Hokkaido, Japan. I can now only watch the snowing scenery and vlogs via Youtube. This is the first new hobby I have picked up during the pandemic. The other hobby that I have picked up during the pandemic is "online shopping". I feel like doing online shopping is more convenient and timesaving compared to real shopping. I will probably keep this hobby up even when the pandemic is finally over 😂.

Max Planck Institute of Molecular Plant Physiology (MPI-MP)