Two renowned international academics engaged in an in-depth dialogue with students at Huazhong Agricultural University (HZAU) on May 28, sharing their research experiences and insights into the future of life sciences.

Barbara Hohn, a foreign member of the Royal Society and member of the Austrian Academy of Sciences, joined the discussion with Holger Puchta, a member of the German National Academy of Sciences Leopoldina and Academia Europaea.

Hohn is known for her foundational work in plant molecular genetics and genetic engineering. Puchta is an internationally recognized expert in plant genome engineering and CRISPR-Cas technologies. Drawing on decades of research experience, the two scientists discussed how they developed their interests, chose their research directions, and navigated setbacks.

Hohn noted that curiosity, openness, and resilience are among the most important qualities for researchers. She added that scientific progress does not always follow a straight path and that many breakthroughs arise from unexpected findings.

Puchta remarked that major scientific advances do not happen overnight but evolve from years of basic research. He encouraged students to accept failure as part of research and to enhance their research skills through repeated experiments.

During the discussion, the professors addressed questions about research interests, the balance between basic and applied science, and the prospects for artificial intelligence and synthetic biology. They also emphasized the importance of open discussion, trust, space for independent thinking, and teamwork for building a strong research environment.

Two well-known scholars share their experience in life science research with HZAU students. [Photo/new.hzau.edu.cn]