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Plants cannot move. Faced with harsh environments such as high temperatures, severe cold, and drought, how do they sense danger, initiate defenses, and yet achieve "precise regulation without overreacting"? This is not only a fundamental scientific question in botany but also concerns the core of crop stress resistance breeding—solving this puzzle could provide a completely new technological path for food security.Recently, the project "The role of adenylate cyclases in fine-tuning hormone signaling for plant stress tolerance and resilience," led by Professor Aloysius Wong, Dean of the College of Science, Mathematics and Technology and Researcher in the International Frontier Interdisciplinary Research Institute of Wenzhou-Kean University, received funding from the National Natural Science Foundation of China's Research Fund for International Excellent Scientists (RFIS-II). This research targets a particularly challenging aspect of plant stress resistance signal regulation. This marks Professor Aloysius Wong's third grant from the National Natural Science Foundation of China (NSFC), following his NSFC International (Regional) Cooperation and Exchange Project in 2018 and the NSFC Young Scientists Fund Project in 2021.The Dilemma of Signaling: Plants release hormones as "alarm signals" to activate their defense mechanisms when faced with adversity. However, the problem lies in the fact that this signaling system must be sufficiently sensitive to respond to minute environmental changes, yet it cannot be overly sensitive, otherwise it will consume excessive energy and affect normal growth. Achieving this "precise regulation" has long been a recognized challenge in the scientific community.Even more challenging is that the molecules and hormones that help plants sense external signals are highly conserved across different species, but due to the difficulty in identifying homologous sequences, the enzymes involved in the synthesis of these signaling molecules, as well as the proteins that interact with them, have long been difficult to locate. Traditional research methods are like "finding a needle in a haystack," resulting in slow progress.Breaking the Bottleneck with "Precision-Guided" ResearchFaced with this predicament, Professor Wong's team took a different approach, employing a unique "precision-guided" strategy—a research method based on computational modeling of short amino acid motifs—to identify novel protein catalytic centers and ligand binding sites. If traditional methods involve blindly searching through a vast number of proteins, this technology is like precisely inserting a "probe" into the core functional region of a protein, directly "targeting" the problem at the molecular level.Based on the previous National Natural Science Foundation of China projects completed in 2021 and 2024, the team successfully discovered several novel adenylate cyclases (ACs) using this innovative method. These enzymes can use adenosine triphosphate (ATP) as a raw material to generate the crucial second messenger 3′,5′-cyclic adenosine monophosphate (cAMP)—a vital signaling molecule in plants that finely regulates the entire process of plant growth, development, and stress responses. The relevant findings have been published in authoritative international journals such as Molecular Plant and Nature Plants.The Leap from "Discovery" to "Reversal"Discovering adenylate cyclases was only the first step. A more crucial question is: how do these enzymes function within cells? How do they regulate hormone signaling and help plants resist adversity?Existing research suggests that adenylate cyclases can act as "molecular tuners." In this newly approved National Natural Science Foundation of China (NSFC) project, Professor Wong will focus on investigating how adenylate cyclases regulate other domains on the same protein, integrating multiple signaling pathways to achieve hormone-mediated plant stress responses. Through computational analysis, the team discovered that these proteins carrying adenylate cyclases also possess potential binding sites for nitric oxide (NO) and abscisic acid (ABA).Based on this, Professor Wong proposes a scientific hypothesis: locally produced cAMP can regulate and alter the strength of hormone signals, generating precise and dynamic spatiotemporal effects in different functional regions of plant cells. This means that we have not only discovered where the "signal switch" is but also elucidated the mechanism of "how to fine-tune" it at the molecular level—analyzing the regulatory mechanism of adenylate cyclase on other protein domains and clarifying how multiple signals synergistically mediate plant hormone stress responses are key to deciphering new mechanisms of plant stress resistance and discovering new targets for crop improvement.Giving crops "resilience" so they can grow strong enough. Professor Aloysius Wong holds a Master's degree in Biotechnology from the University of Cambridge and a PhD in Biological Sciences from King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST) in Saudi Arabia. He previously worked at the French National Centre for Scientific Research (CNRS) and achieved numerous important research results in the field of plant cell signaling. Since joining Wenzhou-Kean University in 2016, Professor Wong has led three National Natural Science Foundation of China (NSFC) projects and one Zhejiang Provincial Natural Science Foundation project. He has published numerous papers in top international academic journals such asNature Plants,Molecular Plant,Plant Cell,Trends in Plant Science,Plant Journal,Journal of Experimental Botany, andDevelopment. He has been selected for the Ouyue Elite Talent Program and received the title of Zhejiang Provincial High-Level Outstanding Talent.From NSFC International (Regional) Cooperation and Exchange Projects to NSFC Young Scientists Fund Projects, and now to the NSFC Research Fund for International Excellent Scientists (RFIS-II).—Professor Wong's research journey is the culmination of years of accumulation and a vivid example of the mutual support between scholars and platforms."Wenzhou-Kean University's international research environment provides me with a valuable platform for conducting challenging and cutting-edge research," Professor Wong stated. He added that securing multiple national-level competitive research projects also demonstrates the continuously strengthening capabilities of Wenzhou-Kean University in supporting high-level scientific research and cultivating research talent. In his view, a combination of an international academic perspective, robust research support, and unwavering research ideals can foster high-quality research results.“At Wenzhou-Kean University, young scholars are not just passing through. With a suitable research environment, strong support, and persistent academic pursuit, researchers can truly settle down here, grow alongside the university, and climb new academic heights step by step,” he said.From basic research at the molecular level to the potential applications of crop resistance breeding, Professor Wong's team's exploration continues. Just as precision medicine opens new lifelines for late-stage cancer patients, deciphering the “fine-tuning switch” of plant stress resistance signals will bring new hope to global food security.

The 4th China International Supply Chain Expo (CISCE) side event, the “CCPIT Think Tank Exchange Event and Launch of the 2026 Edition of the Global Supply Chain Promotion Report,” opened yesterday in Beijing. The academic paper co-authored by Associate Professor Wang Bin of the College of Business and Public Management at Wenzhou-Kean University, as the corresponding author, won the Second Prize in the “Academic Contribution Award” category of the 2026 Global Supply Chain Promotion Research Achievement Competition. As the First Prize was not awarded this year, this Second Prize represents the highest honour in the academic contribution category.This year’s CISCE is held from 22 to 26 June at the China International Exhibition Center (Shunyi Hall) in Beijing, under the theme “Connecting the World for a Shared Future.” It is the world’s first national-level expo dedicated to supply chain collaboration. The competition, organised by the Research Institute of the China Council for the Promotion of International Trade (CCPIT), solicited submissions from global academia, think tanks, and industry practitioners, aiming to foster deep integration of industry, academia, and research in the supply chain field.The award-winning paper, Uncovering the Risks of Digital Supply Chains: A Large Language Model Framework for Semantic Identification and Validation, was co-authored by Wang Bin with Fang Jiaqi, Su Bixiang, and Wang Shuzeng from Wenzhou University. It was published in the top-tier international journal International Journal of Production Economics (CAS Tier 1, ABS 3-star). The study innovatively introduces Large Language Models (LLMs) into risk management, automatically extracting standardised digital risk indicators from massive unstructured corporate disclosures and validating their practical utility through inventory policy simulations. The approach significantly improves the explanatory power for market volatility and corporate decision-making, filling a gap in quantitative research on digital supply chain risks.This award reflects the long-standing collaboration between Wenzhou-Kean University and the provincial and municipal Councils for the Promotion of International Trade (CCPIT). Over the years, the two sides have built a strong partnership and launched a series of initiatives in research and innovation, talent development, and high-level exchanges. These efforts include jointly conducting research on foreign trade enterprises and AI applications, establishing internship bases, and developing customized training programs to support companies in expanding overseas markets. Leveraging Wenzhou-Kean University's partnership with Kean University in the United States, the collaboration has helped enterprises in Wenzhou and across Zhejiang Province strengthen their global presence and explore new opportunities in international markets.Looking ahead, Wenzhou-Kean University will continue to leverage its international strengths, promote the deep integration of cutting-edge research with the local open economy, and contribute wisdom to the resilience building of global supply chainsDr. Wang Bin is an Associate Professor at the College of Business and Public Management, Wenzhou-Kean University, and the founder and director of WKU Institute for Innovation and Supply Chain Development. With 20 years of teaching and research experience in both New Zealand and China, he focuses on supply chain integration, innovation and new technology applications, and sustainable development. He has published nearly 40 high-quality SCI/SSCI journal papers, including over 17 ABDC A-ranked journal articles, and has more than 2,600 Google Scholar citations. He received the 2023 IJPR Top Trending Award.

01 College of Chinese Curricula - YANG XuejiaThe study takes the Wenzhou Qiaotou Button Market from 1983 to 1992 as a case to explore the governance practices of local governments in specialized markets during the early stages of China's reform and opening-up. By analyzing issues such as smuggling and counterfeit products in the initial phase of the market, it outlines the government's phased governance measures—from establishing regulatory bodies and rectifying market order to implementing innovative strategies in response to a sluggish market later on. The research reveals the government's resilient governance mechanism of "control and revitalization," summarizes the experience of multi-stakeholder collaborative governance, and provides historical insights for contemporary market governance. The final research report will serve to inform the formulation of local economic policies.02 College of Chinese Curricula - WANG YankunThe study systematically examines the mechanisms and pathways of nostalgia construction, cultural reproduction, and spatial production in the trade-oriented Overseas Chinese Hometown of Southern Zhejiang, exemplified by Wenzhou and Qingtian. Addressing the persistent gap in scholarly interpretation of the region's distinctive development model—driven by small commodity trade and dense transnational networks—along with practical challenges such as intergenerational disconnection and spatial hollowing-out, this study is situated within the national discourse on "nostalgia preservation" and rural revitalization. Grounded in theories of collective memory and spatial production, it investigates how these Overseas Chinese Hometown negotiate local and global identities through the reproduction of cultural landscapes. By analyzing intergenerational variations in the perception of nostalgia and identifying key symbolic representations, the research aims to offer theoretical insights and actionable strategies for fostering cultural identity among younger generations and advancing sustainable revitalization in Overseas Chinese Hometown communities.03 College of Education - Dr. Jahirul MullickThe study grounded in Bandura's Social Cognitive Theory of Triadic Reciprocal Determinism, this project addresses the gap between inclusion policy and classroom practice. It localizes and validates the Inclusive School Leadership Practice (ISLP) in Zhejiang and develops a dynamic model linking leadership, self-efficacy, knowledge, and inclusive behavior. Using a sequential mixed-methods design, the study combines a teacher survey analyzed through Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) with in-depth interviews applying reflexive thematic analysis. The research aims to offer context-responsive policy pathways and leadership-competency frameworks that advance Education Modernization 2035 and promote equitable integration across urban and rural regions.04 College of Liberal Arts - Dr. DENG LinglingThe study focuses on environmental and social support for neurodivergent populations such as autistic individuals. Through interdisciplinary collaboration across psychology, computer science, and architecture, it investigates neurodiverse sensory responses within built environments. The study aims to create improved learning and working environments for neurodivergent individuals, enhancing their comfort and sense of achievement, while informing urban regeneration and equitable urban development.