Xing Ji received the award for his research on the effects of rising CO₂ levels on resource competition in phytoplankton communities, under supervision of Dr Jolanda Verspagen and professor in Aquatic Microbial Ecology Jef Huisman.

PNAS

A part of the work of Xing Ji was last year published in the scientific journal PNAS, in which the research team showed that a common type of blue-green algae adapts more easily to Earth’s rising CO₂ concentrations than previously assumed. This could have important implications for clean drinking water, swimming safety and freshwater ecosystems.

Each year, 500 overseas Chinese students across all disciplines are worldwide granted this prestigious award, based on their academic accomplishments. This year, there are 10 PhD candidates in the Netherlands amongst the winners.