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Ton Bisseling is a distinguished professor of BUA, a foreign academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering, a professor of Wageningen University & Research of the Netherlands, and a winner of Beijing Great Wall Friendship Award. Over the last years, relying on BUA’s competitive research and teaching platform, he has engaged in scientific research and social services along with BUA’s team, and achieved fruitful results. Here is the story about Professor Ton Bisseling who comes from the Netherlands and carries out scientific research and high-level talent training together with BUA.

You may have encountered the foreign old man who looks a little like Einstein when strolling in the campus. But you may not know how accomplished the ordinary-looking professor is. He was once received by Chinese Premier Li Qiang, won Beijing Great Wall Friendship Award and Beijing Science and Technology Award, and published an article in the Science magazine with BUA as the first author. He holds honorable titles including academician of the Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences and foreign academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering…. Behind these amazing honors is Ton Bisseling, a serious, responsible, plain and selfless scientist and educator.

He is characterized by the spirit of seeking truth and rigorous scholarship. When conducting biotechnological experiment, students might have been using kits to extract DNA, but he would return to the original step, patiently explaining the basic principle about DNA extraction. Solid theoretic learning benefits his students a lot.

“In my doctoral thesis project, I needed to cut 150,000 2mm-long roots into three sections under a microscope in an experiment. That was almost impossible for me. But his in-person demonstration helped me take the first step,” said Li Hucheng, a student of Ton Bisseling and Professor of the College of Plant Science and Technology of BUA, “I asked him whether the precision experiment could be repeated just once due to objective restrictions. He told me seriously that repeat is basic to scientific research, as for science and fallacy, a miss is as good as a mile. It was Ton Bisseling who helped me adhere to my ideal of conducting scientific research. "

Rigorousness and responsibility in teaching and scientific research define his teaching style, and explain why his laboratory has nurtured many excellent talents, such as Ben Scheres, academician of the Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences, Yang Weicai, academician of the Chinese Academy of Science, and Huang Sanwen, academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering.

More than being rigorous and responsible, he’s also plain, selfless, generous and kind. Washed-out shoes, cracked vases and a trolley case with the bottom worn flat are the items he always uses. While leading a plain life, he selflessly finances the doctors jointly cultivated by BUA and the Wageningen University & Research, giving them care when they feel helpless. He works from 6:30 a.m. to 2:00 a.m the next day, doing scientific research, training students, and engaging in social services. He vigorously publicizes BUA’s achievements to boost its influence. "He works selflessly without asking for returns. In my eyes, like Norman Bethune, he is a noble person, a pure person, a moral person, a person divorced from the vulgar taste and a person beneficial to the people," said Li Hucheng.

Over the last years, Ton Bisseling has carried out research particularly on the interaction between plants and rhizosphere microorganisms and its application jointly with BUA’s teachers and students, reaping ground-breaking results. Meanwhile, he has trained over 60 masters and doctors, guided more than 10 post-doctors and cultivated over 10 young key talents and academic leaders in collaboration with BUA and other partnering institutions. In addition, he also established an academician workstation at Beijing Jingwa Agricultural Science and Technology Innovation Center, reputed the “agricultural Zhongguancun", in Pinggu District, Beijing, for the incubation and transfer of scientific and technological outcomes, contributing positively to the building of “China·Pinggu Agricultural Zhongguancun” and the sustainable development of agriculture.

Ton Bisseling said, over the 15 years of collaboration with BUA, he has witnessed the tremendous changes of China and the rapid development of modern agriculture in Beijing. Going ahead, through platforms like the academician workstation and the science yard, he expects to play a bigger role in scientific research, cultivation of research teams and international cooperation, and make great contributions to the high-quality development of BUA and local agriculture.