Si-Chong Chen (陈思翀)

Research Professor & PI
Wuhan Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences, China

Honorary Research Associate
Royal Botanic Gardens Kew, UK

Adjunct Associate Professor
University of New South Wales, Australia

Deputy Director
State Key Laboratory of Plant Diversity and Specialty Crops, China

President-Elect
International Society for Seed Science

Research Interests

I work on the macroecological patterns in seed dispersal, seed predation, seed storage behaviours and relevant disciplines. My research aims to contribute to our understanding of seed ecology in three key ways:

by narrowing the gaps between data, intuitive ideas and theories;
by enhancing the integration of replicated studies at a macro-ecological scale;
by extending understanding from a local scale and a small number of species to a global scale spanning many biomes and taxonomic groups.

Work Experience

2021.12 – 2026.05: Research Professor & PI
Wuhan Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences, China
2018.12 – 2023.03: Future Leader Fellow
Royal Botanic Gardens Kew, UK
2016.08 – 2018.09: Postdoctoral Fellow
Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Israel

Education Experience

2012.08 – 2016.06: PhD in Ecology (Supervisor: Prof. Angela T. Moles)
University of New South Wales, Australia
Thesis: Macro-ecological patterns in seed removal by animals
2009.09 – 2012.07: MSc in Ecology (Supervisor: Prof. Charles H. Cannon)
Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences, China
Thesis: The variation of genome size within and among the Fagaceae
2005.09 – 2009.06: BSc in Science (Supervisor: Prof. Wen-Xin Li)
Wuhan University, China
Thesis: Inhibitive effect of human foamy virus induced interleukin-24 in cancer cells
2008.10 – 2009.02: Visiting Research Student (Supervisor: Prof. Yoshikatsu Kanai)
Osaka University, Japan
Thesis: Examination of protein-protein interaction in human kidney

Editorial Board

2026 – present: Ecography, Subject Editor
2025 – present: Seed Science Research, Associate Editor
2023 – present: Methods in Ecology and Evolution, Associate Editor
2022 – present: Integrative Zoology, Youth Editor
2020 – present: Oikos, Subject Editor
2024 – present: Biodiversity Science 生物多样性, Editor
2024 – present: Chinese Journal of Plant Ecology 植物生态学报, Editor
2022 – present: Plant Science Journal 植物科学学报, Editor
2020 – 2022: Frontiers in Plant Science, Special Issue “Functional Seed Ecology”, Guest Editor