Professor Mai-He Li from the Swiss Federal Institute for Forest, Snow and Landscape Research (WSL) delivered an online academic report and exchanged with faculty and students at the invitation of the School of Life Sciences, TU on December 31.

Professor Li delivers online academic report

Titled “Grow fast, die young: A philosophical question about the trade-off between growth and longevity,” Professor Li’s report explored the belowground carbon allocation in trees under stress—specifically focusing on low-temperature (alpine treeline) and drought conditions—and elucidated the mechanistic implications of root carbohydrate dynamics for the growth and survival of stressed trees.

Faculty members and graduate students from the School of Life Sciences attended the academic event and had discussions with Professor Li, addressing key academic topics of interest.

Expert Profile:

Professor Mai-He Li is a renowned plant physiological ecologist and senior scientist at the Swiss Federal Institute for Forest, Snow and Landscape Research (WSL). He graduated from Central South Forestry University in 1985 and earned his Ph.D. from the University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Vienna (BOKU), Austria, in 1999. He completed postdoctoral training at the Austrian National Institute of Forestry Science and the University of Basel, Switzerland. Since 2001, he has been affiliated with WSL. Professor Li has published over 300 articles in prestigious journals such as Nature Plants, PNAS, Nature Communications, Global Change Biology, New Phytologist, and Tree Physiology. He also serves as an associate editor or science editor for international journals, including Tree Physiology.