As the Arboretum’s Urban Tree Science Leader, Chai-Shian works with a wide range of stakeholders on projects related to urban tree research and management.
Chai-Shian is currently leading the 2020 Chicago Region Tree Census, working closely with the Chicago Region Trees Initiative (CRTI) and the Center for Tree Science (CTS). She is also an adjunct Associate Professor at the Shanghai Engineering Research Center of Urban Tree Ecology and Applications (SERCUTEA), where she works with colleagues on developing science-based urban tree management strategies. Her efforts to develop and improve relationships with partners in China resulted in a signed Memorandum of Understanding aimed at expanding professional exchanges and collaborations on urban tree research.
Some of the many projects she has helped develop with academic and industry partners include a pilot study monitoring urban tree water use with real-time smart sap flow sensors (with ICT International, Australia) and genomic sequencing of Tanoak (with CGI-USA, the University of Tennessee, UC Davis, and UC Berkeley).