Dr. Sheng Yang received his doctoral degree in 2000 from the Shanghai Institute of Biochemistry and Cell Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS). After completing his doctorate, he began his faculty career at the Institute of Plant Physiology & Ecology at the Shanghai Institutes for Biological Sciences, CAS. Dr. Yang is currently the Director of the Shanghai Research and Development Center of Industrial Biology, a position he’s held since 2008. Dr. Yang’s research focuses on metabolic engineering and genomic editing in bacteria and yeast. Recently, he has also worked to develop CRISPR systems for RNA editing to target and knock down gene transcripts in S. pombe (fission yeast). His lab has also worked to develop a highly efficient two-plasmid CRISPR system, displaying fast activity in the soil bacterium, P. putida KT2440. Through his research, his goal is to develop and optimize these findings into genetically based bio products and bioprocesses.