Welcoming a new YPARD Steering Committee member: Zhai Lin

We are delighted to welcome the incoming YPARD steering committee member:  Zhai Lin.

Ms. Lin is a graduate of Bachelor of English Language and Literature degree in China and Master of European Law from the University of Leeds, UK.

With full enthusiasm on international cooperation, in 2004,  Lin joined Department of International Cooperation of Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences (CAAS) and served for the bilateral agricultural science and technology cooperation between CAAS and countries in Europe, America, Oceania, and Asia. In the ten years work of her work as the program officer and deputy director of the Bilateral Partnership Division, Lin organized and implemented 163 international S&T cooperative programs from Ministry of Science and Technology of China and 23 international S&T cooperative exchange programs from Ministry of Agriculture. She also contributed to the establishment of 8 cooperative joint labs and joint research centers with foreign partners which became important communication and cooperation platforms to enhance the bilateral research cooperation.

In 2015, Lin undertook the responsibility of Division Chief for Multilateral Partnership of CAAS and managed CAAS's cooperation with relevant global and regional organizations, non-governmental organizations as well as private sectors. Additionally, she organized high-level international conferences hosted or organized by CAAS, such as the 5th G20 Meetings of Agricultural Chief Scientists (MACS), the 5th Global Forum of Leaders for Agricultural Science and Technology (GLAST); Belt and Road Summit on Agriculture Science and Technology Development. Lin is the also the focal point in managing CAAS's cooperative affairs with subsidiary organizations of the UN (including FAO, WFP and IFAD etc), GFAR, G20, CABI, IAEA, IPNI, World Bank as well as APEC and YPARD activities.

Lin has supervised the YPARD Asia and Pacific Coordination Unit activities since 2015. She is always impressed by the passion of the YPARDians through their activities and reports. Although China and CAAS  international cooperation is booming, the opportunities for youth are still quite unlimited. This is one of the reasons why Lin committed herself to international cooperation. Being a YPARD SC member, Lin sees the potential to build a new bridge to motivate, facilitate and help youth to communicate with the international community which not only shapes their study but also changes their career path. Based on her decade experience in international cooperation, Lin has witnessed the benefit both from CAAS and as an individual researcher that the more one collaborates and shares with others, the more one gains.

Nominated as a YPARD Steering Committee member, Lin appreciates this opportunity to work more closely with and for the global community of young professionals. With a rising international and domestic attention on youth and agriculture development issues, Lin would like to learn and advocate for the YPARD mission in CAAS, China and through her working connections with the global, regional organizations and multiple stakeholders, to provide more opportunities for youth to communicate with the international platforms and make their voices heard. CAAS newly launched a youth talent’s plan in the 60th years’ anniversary event in 2017.  Lin considers this as a great chance to welcome the world young professionals to China and through whom to foster more young ambassadors to enhance the bilateral and multilateral cooperations." She says,

“To work on international cooperation always makes me feel the mission while to work with youth provides me with passion.To serve as YPARD Steering Committee member is the perfect integration for the mission and passion."

Having Zhai on the YPARD Steering Committee is invaluable for strengthening the strategic directions of the platform especially on the Asia and Pacific end.

Welcome on board  Zhai Lin!