On June 19, President Li Zhaohu of Huazhong Agricultural University met with Professor Paul Schulze-Lefert from the Max Planck Institute for Plant Breeding Research (MPIPZ) in Germany and awarded him an honorary professorship.

Representatives from the Human Resources Department, the International Cooperation and Exchange Office, the College of Plant Science and Technology, and faculty members attended the meeting.

President Li Zhaohu of Huazhong Agricultural University meets with Professor Paul Schulze-Lefert from the Max Planck Institute for Plant Breeding Research (MPIPZ) in Germany. [Photo/news.hzau.edu.cn]

Professor Paul Schulze-Lefert is named honorary professor of Huazhong Agricultural University. [Photo/news.hzau.edu.cn]

Li extended a warm welcome to Professor Schulze-Lefert and introduced the bisic situation of the university. He emphasized the university’s long-standing commitment to botanical research, and encouraged German researchers to conduct scientific research in China. He expressed hope for strengthened future cooperation in scientific research, talent cultivation, and the establishment of joint laboratories aiming to ensure global food security.

The professor expressed his gratitude for the university's warm reception. He recalled the history of collaboration with the university's researchers and highly praised the rapid development of the university's botany field. He stated that he is deeply honored to receive the honorary professorship and feels a responsibility to train the next generation of botanists. He looks forward to deepening exchanges and cooperation with the university contributing to talent cultivation and scientific research.

After the appointment ceremony, the professor delivered a lecture to the faculty and students.

Professor Paul Schulze-Lefert is currently the director of the Department of Plant-Microbe Interactions at the MPIPZ. His research focuses on plant innate immune systems, fungal pathogenic mechanisms, and plant microbiomes. He has been elected a member of the European Molecular Biology Organization (EMBO) in 2006, a foreign member of the National Academy of Sciences (NAS) in 2010. He became a member of the German National Academy of Sciences Leopoldina in 2010, a fellow of the American Academy of Microbiology in 2011, and a foreign member of the Royal Society in 2024.