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Teaching Staff

Professor CHENG, Shifeng 程時鋒

Professor CHENG, Shifeng 程時鋒

Professor, School of Biological Sciences, Faculty of Science, HKU

BSc (Hubei University, Biological Sciences); MPhil (Shenzhen University, Genome Biology); PhD (University of Hong Kong, Computational Biology)

  • 5465 9128
  • 2858 3477
  • KBSB 7S09

Teaching Areas

  • Genetics
  • Genome Biology
  • Evolution
  • Plant Sciences
  • Computational Biology and Bioinformatics
  • The History of Science

 

Research Interests

  • Plant trait-based phylogenomics genomics
  • Crop population, evolutionary and quantitative genetics
  • Origins of evolutionary novelties and phenotypic diversity
  • Gene cis-/trans-regulation and rewiring
  • Development of enabling technologies (e.g., plant genetic transformation and gene editing, spatially-resolved single-cell regulatory omics, and AI) to understand traits

How Can One Small Pea Seed Open An Infinite Universe of Genetics?

 

Current Research 

  • C4 photosynthesis
  • Nitrogen-fixing root nodule symbiosis
  • Pea genomics and genetics
  • Wheat genomics and genetics

 

Selected Publications

 

(*first author; † corresponding author. Not all the co-authors are included)

 

1) FengC*, Chen BZ*,  HoferJ*,  ShiY*, JiangM*, et al., EllisN†, ChayutN†, Cheng SF†.Genomic and Genetic Insights into Mendel's Pea Genes. Nature,642, 980-989. April 23, 2025. DOI: 10.1038/s41586-025-08891-6.

2)Cheng SF†.Answers to a 160-year-old riddle about the genetics of Mendel’s pea traits.Nature (Research Briefing). April 23, 2025.

3)Cheng SF*†, FengC*, et al., Griffiths S†. Harnessing landrace diversity empowers wheat breeding. Nature,632, 823-831. June 17, 2024. DOI: 10.1038/s41586-024-07682-9.

4) Liu H, Zhao H, et al., Cheng SF†. The Genome Of Eleocharis vivipara Elucidates The Genetics Of C3-C4 Photosynthetic Plasticity And Karyotype Evolution In The Cyperaceae. Journal Of Integrative Plant Biology, 2024, DOI: 10.1111/jipb.13765.

5) Zhang Y*, Fu Y*, et al., Doyle JJ#, Cheng SF†. Comparative Phylogenomics And Phylotranscriptomics Provide Insights Into The Genetic Complexity Of Nitrogen-Fixing Root Nodule Symbiosis. Plant Communications, 2023.

6) Cheng SF†.Gregor Mendel: The father of genetics who opened a biological world full of wonders.Molecular Plant (comment). 15(11):1641-1645. November 7, 2022. DOI: 10.1016/j.molp.2022.10.013.

7) Cheng SF*†, Wong G, Melkonian M†. Giant DNA viruses make big strides in eukaryote evolution.Cell Host & Microbe (perspective). 29(2):152-154. February10, 2021. DOI: 10.1016/j.chom.2021.01.008.

8) Cheng SF*, Xian WF*, Fu Y, Marin B, Keller J, WuT, et al., Wong G†, Melkonian M†. Genomes of Subaerial Zygnematophyceae Provide Insights into Land Plant Evolution. Cell, 179(5):1057-1067.e14.November 14, 2019,  DOI: 10.1016/j.cell.2019.10.019.

9) One thousand plant transcriptomes and the phylogenomics of green plants. One Thousand Plant Transcriptomes Initiative. Nature. volume 574, pages679–685 (2019).

10) Griesmann M, Chang Y, Liu Xi, Song Y, Haberer G, et al., Parniske M†, Delaux P†, Cheng SF†. Phylogenomics reveals multiple independent losses of the nitrogen-fixing root nodule symbiosis.Science.361, 6398. May 24, 2018.DOI: 10.1126/science.aat1743.

11) Cheng SF*, Melkonian M, Smith SA, Brockington S, Archibald JM, Delaux PM, Li FW, Melkonian B, Mavrodiev EV, Sun W, Fu Y, Yang H, Soltis DE, Graham SW, Soltis PS, Liu X, Xu X, Wong GKS†. 10KP: A Phylodiverse Genome Sequencing Plan. GigaScience, 7(3):giy013. 2018, DOI: 10.1093/gigascience/giy013.

12) Cheng SF*, Gutmann B, Zhong X, Ye Y, Fisher MF, Bai F, Castleden I, Song Y, Lim BL, Bond CS, Yiu SM†, Small I†. Redefining The Structural Motifs That Determine RNA Binding And RNA Editing By Pentatricopeptide Repeat Proteins In Land Plants. The Plant Journal, 2016, DOI: 10.1111/tpj.13121.

13)  Lin SJ*, Cheng SF*, Song B*, Zhong X*, Lin X*,et al., Morse D. The Symbiodinium kawagutii genome illuminates dinoflagellate gene expression and coral symbiosis. Science. 350(6261): 691-694. November 6, 2015. DOI:10.1126/science.aad0408. IF: 45.8

14) Cheng SF*, van den Bergh E*, Zeng P, Zhong X, Xu J, Liu X, Hofberger J, de Bruijn S, Bhide AS, Kuelahoglu C, Bian C, Chen J, Fan G, Kaufmann K, Hall JC, Becker A, Bräutigam A, Weber APM, Zhu XG, Xu X, et al., Schranz ME. The Tarenaya Hassleriana Genome Provides Insight Into Reproductive Trait And Genome Evolution Of Crucifers. The Plant Cell, 25(8). August 2013, DOI: 10.1105/tpc.113.113480.

15) Zhang GY*, Liu X*, Quan ZW*, Cheng SF*, Xu X*, Pan SK*, Xie M, Zeng P, Yue Z, Wang WL, Tao Y, et al., Wang J. Genome Sequence Of Foxtail Millet (Setaria Italica) Provides Insights Into Grass Evolution And Biofuel Potential. Nature Biotechnology, 30(6):549–554. 2012, DOI: 10.1038/nbt.2195.

 

Fellowships

  • National Leading Scientist of the Ten Thousand Talents Program (‘WanRen’, 2021-2024)
  • Excellence Young Scientist Fund (NSFC, 2020-2023)
  • Pearl River Talent Team Fund (Chief Scientist, 2020-2025)

 

Awards and Honours

  • Special Individual Award for Excellence in International Collaboration (2021)
  • Excellent Teacher Award (2022)
  • Shenzhen Peacock National Leading Talent Award (‘A’ type, 2018-2023)

 

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