Pteridology and Phycology Lab
Research Field
Our Lab Website: https://sites.google.com/g-mail.nsysu.edu.tw/kaolab/home?authuser=0
Welcome to the Pteridology and Phycology Lab website!
Our lab has a broad interest in the morphology and evolution of marine microalgae and ferns. Through the integration of advanced microscopy, cell biology, and multi-omics analysis, we explore plant evolution, anatomy, function, and diversity from multiple perspectives. If you are interested in our research and would like to join our team, please contact me, Tzu-Tong Kao, for more details.
Pteridology and Phycology
Life Cycle and Evolution
Genomics and Bioinfomatics
Plant Anatomy and Microscopy
Spore Bank and Conservative Biology
2025 Excellent Teaching Courses: General BIology
2025 Top 20% EMI course: Plant Morphology
2024 NSTC Research Project: Genomic evolution and phylogenomic analysis of the origin and evolution of marine coccolithophores (113-2621-B-110-001-MY2; 2024-2026)
2024 Excellent Teaching Courses: Plant Anatomy, Life Sciences
2023 Academia Sinica Postdoctoral Scholarship (AS-PD-11201-L01; 2 years)
2022 NSTC Research Award for Research Fellows (111WIA0110836)
2021 Academia Sinica Postdoctoral Scholarship (AS-PD-11001-L007; 2 years)
2017 NSF Doctoral Dissertation Improvement Grant: Evolution and Function of Farina in the Desiccation-Tolerant Notholaenid Ferns (DEB-1701942; 2017-2019)
2017 Taiwan Government Scholarship to Study Abroad ($16,000/year; 2 years)
Postdoc: Institute of Plant and Microbial Biology, Academia Sinica, Taiwan
Ph.D.: Biology, Duke University, USA
Research assistant, Taiwan Forestry Research Institute, Taiwan
M.Sc.: Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Natioanl Taiwan University, Taiwan
B.Sc.: Life Science, National Taiwan University, Taiwan
Job Description
• Assist in the maintenance and cultivation of aquatic seedless plant materials under controlled laboratory and greenhouse conditions.
• Perform physiological and ecological experiments related to spore viability, dormancy, and germination responses to environmental cues.
• Support laboratory workflows including sample preparation, data recording, and protocol optimization.
• Participate in comparative analyses across taxa to address evolutionary and ecological questions.
• Contribute to data visualization, figure preparation, and documentation for reports, manuscripts, and presentations.
• Collaborate with lab members and supervisors in project planning and regular research discussions.
Preferred Intern Educational Level
Master’s degree in Biology
Skill sets or Qualities
• Plant taxonomy and systematics
• Plant reproductive and developmental biology
• Scientific communication in English
• Scientific writing
• Microscopy & flow cytometry
• Image analysis
• Molecular biology techniques
• Bioinformatics and data analysis
Internship-related fee required by the school/institution
Interns who conduct their internship on campus must apply as visiting students at least 1 month before their arrival. They are required to pay the fees listed on this page
<https://oia.nsysu.edu.tw/p/412-1308-20683.php?Lang=en>
and complete registration/leaving procedures. Please note that NSYSU does not provide on-campus housing for visiting students. Interns will have to look for off-campus housing by themselves. Off-campus housing resources can be found on this page
<https://oia.nsysu.edu.tw/p/412-1308-20683.php?Lang=en>
Job Description
• Assist in the maintenance and cultivation of plant materials under controlled laboratory and greenhouse conditions
• Support laboratory workflows including sample preparation, data recording, and protocol optimization
• Participate in comparative analyses across taxa to address evolutionary and ecological questions
• Contribute to data visualization, figure preparation, and documentation for reports, manuscripts, and presentations
• Collaborate with lab members and supervisors in project planning and regular research discussions
Preferred Intern Educational Level
Master’s degree in Biology or a closely related field
Skill sets or Qualities
• Plant morphology and anatomy
• Plant reproductive and developmental biology
• Scientific communication and writing in English
• Microscopy & flow cytometry
• Image analysis
• Molecular biology techniques
• Bioinformatics and data analysis
Internship-related fee required by the school/institution
Interns who conduct their internship on campus must apply as visiting students at least 1 month before their arrival. They are required to pay the fees listed on this page
<https://oia.nsysu.edu.tw/p/412-1308-20683.php?Lang=en>
and complete registration/leaving procedures. Please note that NSYSU does not provide on-campus housing for visiting students. Interns will have to look for off-campus housing by themselves. Off-campus housing resources can be found on this page
<https://oia.nsysu.edu.tw/p/412-1308-20683.php?Lang=en>