Dr Tan Boon Chin is an Associate Professor holding the position of Deputy Director at the Centre for Research in Biotechnology for Agriculture (CEBAR) at the University of Malaya (UM). He completed his BSc in Biotechnology at Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM) and a PhD in Plant Biotechnology at the University of Nottingham. Dr Tan was employed by UM as a postdoctoral research fellow before taking up the senior lecturer role.

Dr Tan's interests span the fields of plant molecular biology and biochemistry. His current research aims to combine omics and molecular approaches to understanding the regulatory mechanism of transcription factors in environmental-stressed crops, hoping to find ways to improve crop tolerance for near-future climates. These include (1) developing a product in the form of biostimulants to mitigate climate stress for these crops, (2) developing appropriate educational programmes for farmers to promote sustainable agriculture, and (3) making recommendations to policymakers.

Dr Tan's research interests also encompass genetically manipulating biosynthetic pathways in plants to produce beneficial bioactive compounds. Additionally, he explores the potential of using plants as an alternative platform for producing high-value recombinant pharmaceutical proteins.

He received several awards, including the Royal Society-Newton Advanced Fellowship (2017), the Travel Award for the Asia Pacific Biosafety Association Conference from the United States Department of State Biosecurity Engagement Program (2017), and the Alltech Young Scientist Award 2012/13.

Dr Tan is currently the Lead Consultant for the National Biosafety Policy project. He is also an Associate Editor of the Journal of Plant Growth Regulation (JPGR) and an Editorial Board Member of BMC Plant Biology, Heliyon, Molecular Biotechnology (MOBI), Asia Pacific Journal of Molecular Biology and Biotechnology (APJMBB), Discover Food, Discover Plants, and the Journal of Agribusiness Marketing (JAMA).

Dr Tan is also the President of the Malaysian Society for Molecular Biology and Biotechnology (MSMBB), an Honorary Secretary of the Asia Oceania Agricultural Proteomics Organization (AOAPO), a council member of the Malaysian Proteomics Society (MAPS), Malaysian Society of Plant Physiology (MSPP), and Malaysian Society of Systems and Synthetic Biology (MyBioSS), and an eLife Community Ambassador. 

His research group is committed to dedicating their expertise and ideas to catalyse efforts toward achieving the second Sustainable Development Goal (SDG2). See the interview: https://www.springernature.com/gp/researchers/the-source/blog/blogposts-communicating-research/enhan...