Lee Jong Jen, a Research Officer at the Sarawak Biodiversity Centre (SBC), successfully completed a 12-week internship programme at the University of California San Diego (UCSD), United States of America, from 12th February to 11th May 2024. The internship was hosted at the Mayfield Laboratory, led by Distinguished Professor Stephen Mayfield, a globally renowned expert in algae research with over 20 years of experience in developing renewable materials from algae.
A key highlight of the internship was the co-authorship of a joint research publication with Distinguished Professor Mayfield and his team. The paper, published in Algal Research (Impact Factor 4.6) on 11th April 2025, reports the discovery of Chlamydomonas pacifica, a newly identified extremophilic green algae. This species demonstrates exceptional potential due to its high production of triacylglycerols (TAGs), which are valuable for both biofuel applications and health-related benefits.
João Vitor Dutra Molino, Aaron Oliver, Harish Sethuram, Kalisa Kang, Barbara Saucedo, Crisandra Jade Diaz, Abhishek Gupta, Lee Jong Jen, Yasin Torres-tiji, Nora Hidasi, Amr Badary, Hunter Jenkins, Francis J. Fields, Ryan Simkovsky, Stephen Mayfield (2025). Description of a novel extremophile green algae, _Chlamydomonas pacifica, and its potential as a biotechnology host. Algal Research, 88(104034)
