XU Jian obtained B.S in Biotechnology from Peking University in 1997, and M.S. in Computer Science and PhD in Biochemistry (under Jeffrey Gordon) from Washington University in St. Louis in 2003. He founded Single-Cell Center, CAS-QIBEBT in 2013. The center develops a new generation of label-free single-cell analysis instruments (ramanome/meta-ramanome, Raman-activated cell sorting and Raman-guided single-cell sequencing). Via these new tools, his group develops the industrial microalga Nannochloropsis oceanica into a synthetic biology research model for scalable photosynthetic production of nutriceuticals and biofuels. In addition, his group develops microbiome big-data mining tools for diagnosis and prognosis of chronic diseases. Jian has published over 100 papers on leading journals including Science, Cell Host & Microbe, Nature Commu., Plant Cell, ISME J, etc, with nearly 8000 citations. He is a senior editor of mSystems. He won a number of awards from NSFC, MOST and CAS, including National Distinguished Young Scholars Award (2014), National Young-Scientist Award for Science and Technology (2016) and VCANBIO Award for Biosciences and Medicine (2016).