Jia, Yulin
Yulin Jia
Dr. Yulin Jia is a Plant Molecular Pathologist at the United States Department of Agriculture Agricultural Research Service’s (USDA ARS) Dale Bumpers National Rice Research Center. His research focuses on gene discovery and utilization, including developing molecular markers to accelerate breeding efforts for improved disease resistance using marker-assisted breeding (MAS). Since 2021, Dr. Jia has been Acting Research Leader/Center Director. Dr. Jia has authored or co-authored over 400 publications, including 130 journal papers and 20 book chapters, and his publications have now been cited over 9,000 times.
“Knowledge is the most powerful thing in life, and learning is the most exciting thing in the world.” - Dr. Yulin Jia, 2016.
Zhao, H., Liu, Y., Jia, M.H., Jia, Y. 2022. An allelic variant of the broad-spectrum blast resistance gene Ptr in weedy rice is associated with resistance to the most virulent blast race IB-33. Plant Disease. 10.1094/PDIS-09-21-2043-RE.
Jia, Yulin & Jia, Melissa & Yan, Zongbu. 2021. Mapping Blast Resistance Genes in Rice Varieties ‘Minghui 63’ and ‘M-202’. Plant Disease. 106. 10.1094/PDIS-09-21-2095-RE.
Jia, Yulin. 2019. Introductory Chapter: Protecting Rice Grains in the Post-Genomic Era: Are We There Yet? 10.5772/intechopen.86390.
Zhao, H., Wang, X., Jia, Y., Minkenberg, B., Wheatley, M., Fan, J., Jia, M.H., Famoso, A., Edwards, J., Wamishe, Y., Valent, B., Wang, G., Yang, Y. 2018. The rice blast resistance gene Ptr encodes an atypical protein required for broad-spectrum disease resistance. Nature Communications. 9. 10.1038/s41467-018-04369-4.
Dr. Yulin Jia traces his interest in rice back to his upbringing in rural China, where he saw many rice farms, including his farmer parents, suffer from bouts of crop disease. “I’ve always been interested in plant diseases because they caused so much crop damage when I was growing up,” Dr. Jia says (2016). Dr. Jia completed his Certificate of Graduation in Agronomy at Xichang University in China, where he focused on crop science, genetics, and breeding. While at Xichang University and for several years after graduating, Dr. Jia worked for an Agronomy Extension Service for the Chinese government. His work at the extension service exposed him to many crop diseases, and he learned what caused them. “In many remote places, the farmers believed that ghosts or gods were attacking the crops,” he explains (2016). “I was thinking, ‘How can we control the insects and diseases that are causing this harm?”’
After his work at the extension service, Dr. Jia had the opportunity to participate in an agricultural exchange program in the United States. He began working in peach and grape orchards in Colorado but soon became interested in citrus crops. He moved to Florida, where he worked with a citrus farmer, Robert Edsall. Dr. Jia recalls being curious about everything. “One day, I was asked to cut down some trees that were infected by a virus. I noticed that only one half of the tree was infected and that the other half was healthy, and I wanted to know why” (Jia, 2016). Edsall took Dr. Jia to the University of Florida Citrus Research and Education Center to find out. The scientist there, Dr. Fred Gmitter, noted Dr. Jia’s inquisitiveness and invited him to join his research efforts. Edsall agreed to provide financial support, and Dr. Jia began a master’s degree program at the University of Florida. While earning his master’s degree, Dr. Jia became especially interested in controlling plant diseases through genetic improvement. He studied under Dr. Gmitter and, in 1993, received his master’s degree in plant genetics, tissue culture, and seedless fruit breeding.
After completing his master’s, Dr. Jia looked for professors studying plant diseases. He found Dr. Greg Martin at Purdue University, and Dr. Jia received a fellowship to work with him at Purdue. Dr. Jia completed his Ph.D. in 1997, focusing on host-pathogen interaction and plant immunity’s genetic and molecular basis.
After getting his doctorate, Dr. Jia had to decide where to focus his efforts; he chose rice, the plant that had inspired his interest in the first place. While looking for postdoctorate opportunities that would allow him to work with rice, he found Dr. Barbara Valent, a fungal molecular geneticist and researcher for DuPont Company. In 1997, he began a postdoctoral fellowship at DuPont studying host-pathogen interactions at a genetic and molecular level. Dr. Jia helped Dr. Valent research rice blast disease, one of the deadliest fungal crop diseases in the world. “One way to control plant diseases is through genetic improvement. Working with her [Dr. Valent], I helped clone a resistant gene, and we studied how plant resistance genes work, the relationship between host and pathogen” (2016).
Dr. Jia interviewed for several university faculty jobs after his postdoc. During that time, however, he was invited to give a talk to the United States Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Agricultural Research Service (ARS). Still wanting to work with rice, Jia thought the USDA’s Dale Bumpers National Rice Research Center was a perfect fit. After three years at DuPont, Dr. Jia joined the USDA’s Agricultural Research Service (ARS) as a Research Plant Molecular Pathologist and Project Leader in 2000. At the ARS, he led rice research addressing the competitiveness of rice production in the United States.
In 2006, Dr. Jia was named the Southern Plains Area Early Career Research Scientist, awarded to a scientist for outstanding work and scientific impact within ten years of receiving their doctorate. In 2011, Dr. Jia joined the University of Maine as an Adjunct Professor, where he led graduate research. In 2019, he was named the Southeast Area Senior Scientist of the Year.
Dr. Jia says the highlight of his career has been working with his current colleagues, whom he also considers mentors, and his ability to do the research he has always wanted. “I feel very good about my research,” he says. “When I moved to Arkansas, I was able to transfer my interest into research that impacted science and translate it into a language that can improve rice cultivation. I feel that I am impacting science and helping farmers” (2016).
Although he has spent most of the past 20 years living and working in the United States, Dr. Jia says a passion for improving the situation in rural China is still the driving force behind his work. In 2020, Dr. Jia was a co-recipient of the Distinguished Rice Research Team Award by the Rice Technical Working Group. He is an American Phytopathological Society Fellow. He also became an adjunct faculty member at Louisiana State University in 2020, supporting graduate research as a graduate research committee member.
Dr. Jia says that seeing the tangible impacts of his work has made his career choice worthwhile. “This is what I wanted to do with my life,” he says. “We spray millions of dollars’ worth of pesticides to prevent plant diseases, you can’t breathe the air during the growing season in some rice growing areas. As scientists, we must come up with strategies for how to deal with this. Today, we have many tools to do so, and we must try to use them”(2016). Dr. Jia has published in many scientific journals and his publications have now been cited over 9,000 times. In 2021, Dr. Jia was named Acting Center Director and Research Leader at the Dale Bumpers National Rice Research Center.
Despite these successes, Dr. Jia does not believe he has accomplished anything significant yet. He is proud that he has gained the trust and respect of his American colleagues and the United States government. He says the most gratifying part of his work is simply learning and contributing his knowledge to the greater good. “Knowledge is the most powerful thing in life, and learning is the most exciting thing in the world,” he says (2016).
Dr. Jia names Mr. Edsall, Dr. Gmitter, Dr. Martin, Dr. Valent, and his undergraduate advisors in China as significant mentors who have nurtured his career growth. “I have been very lucky in my career [regarding mentors]. That is why I am here today,” he says (2016).
Dr. Jia has mentored a diverse array of students, technicians, and postdocs through his position with the USDA. The University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff is an 1890 land grant institution, and Dr. Jia has worked hard to help secure a research grant and other resources for the largely-minority student population. Although Jia loves both his job and the setting he works in, he admits it can be frustrating when others do not seem to share his passion for the subject. “It’s hard to get people to love science as much as I do,” he says. “It’s especially hard to get kids interested in biology and agriculture. That tends to be a struggle for all scientists in remote areas. Agriculture is so important to people’s lives, but a lot of kids don’t want to go into it” (2016).
For minorities interested in environmental careers, Dr. Jia has three pieces of advice: get the highest education possible, work hard, and always remember to help your community and those who surround you. “If you have those three, you’ll do very well,” he says (2016). Finally, “Don’t work for anybody else; work for yourself. Write the history of your own life”(2016). Dr. Jia recommends that you should be a mentor and volunteer whenever possible, be active in professional societies, and work efficiently.
Interview conducted by Multicultural Environmental Leadership Development Initiative staff. 2016. University of Michigan – School of Natural Resources and Environment. Ann Arbor, MI.
Survey and interviews conducted by Justice, Equity, Diversity, and Sustainability Initiative staff. 2022-2023. Yale University-School of the Environment. New Haven, Connecticut.
Yulin Jia : USDA ARS. (2023). Usda.gov. https://www.ars.usda.gov/people-locations/person?person-id=21002