Hei Leung, renowned former IRRI principal scientist, passes away

Gene Hettel   |  Oct 18, 2022

IRRI 20 October 2022

Figure: Dr. Leung at home in the IRRI rice plots. (Photo: IRRI)

Dr. Hei Leung, a long-time respected plant pathologist and geneticist at the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI), passed away at home on 15 October 2022 in Gabriola, Canada, three weeks shy of his 67th birthday. He had fought a long battle with cancer.

Hei served as IRRI’s program leader for Genetic Diversity and Gene Discovery and subprogram leader for Comparative Genomics in the Generation Challenge Program. He was given the distinction as an IRRI Principal Scientist in 2010 until his retirement in 2020.

His primary interests were in plant disease resistance and genetic diversity research. He collaborated extensively with research and breeding institutions on projects that had strategic significance in rice pathology, disease resistance, and functional genomics.

Hei focused on applying genetic diversity to address rice production problems and developing a public genetic research platform to enhance the use and conservation of genetic diversity. He participated in research at IRRI on C4 rice, the genetic basis of durable disease resistance, the genetics of biomass, genotype-phenotype relationships, and molecular marker applications.

His research groups produced a large collection of rice mutants that have been used in many different studies that have led to the identification of new genes and pathways for different traits in rice.

On 5 November 1955, Hei was born with the help of a mid-wife in Xin Wei, Guangdong, China, a small village with no medical facilities and doctors.

Hei then earned his M.S. and Ph.D. degrees in plant pathology at the University of Wisconsin. After completing his doctoral studies in 1984, he was awarded a McKnight Postdoctoral Fellowship to work at the University of California, Davis.

Rice blast was the disease to tackle

“Dating from the time when I saw that item in National Geographic about miracle rice, I had continued my keen interest in international agriculture. This prompted me to join IRRI in the Philippines in 1986 as a postdoctoral fellow to begin my career in rice pathology research.

In 1989, Hei joined the plant pathology faculty at Washington State University where he focused on the genetics of the blast fungus. “I mapped traits controlling sporulation of the blast fungus because I thought less sporulation would reduce its severity on rice,” Hei continued in his Pioneer Interview. “I returned to IRRI In 1997 as a plant pathologist.”

Over the years, Hei and his research colleagues at Washington State and IRRI made several key contributions to initiate development of the blast fungus as a tractable genetic system, leading to its eventual establishment as a model system. He studied meiosis and ascosporogenesis in the fungus, its chromosome number, and conducted the first successful crosses in M. grisea.

In addition, he developed a mapping population and contributed to the development of the first genetic map of the fungal genome. His laboratory conducted some of the first transformation experiments on the fungus and developed an insertional mutagenesis system that was applied to the analysis of morphogenesis, pathogenesis, and sporulation in Magnaporthe.

Rice diseases eBook

Just before his retirement, Hei was involved as a co-author (among 24 other global rice disease specialists) and a major promoter in the development and release in 2018 of the unique online resource Rice Diseases: Their Biology and Selected Management Practices.

The IRRI experience: the importance of teamwork

In March of 2020, a farewell retirement party was held for Hei at the IRRI Guest House during which he commented: “I have worked for over 20 years together with many scientists at IRRI and around the world. This experience taught me the importance of teamwork and treating each other with respect regardless of our position, gender, and where we come from. This is the most important principle I have learned while working at IRRI. I treasure my experience here, the students we trained, the discussions about science, the sharing of ideas about global issues, and the friends I have made.”

In February 2006, Hei was elected as a fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS).

Hei is survived by his wife Debbie Cook and sons Kailan (Iliana Sucre) in Canada and Jenning in Singapore, and one granddaughter, Nora Leung. Friends and colleagues can send messages of condolence to Debbie. A memorial event celebrating Hei’s life will be held at a future date.

More on Dr. Leung’s accomplishments:

To get the gist of Hei’s science, view a seminar, Using rice genetic diversity looking back & moving forward, given by him at IRRI on 12 September 2013.

During the 5th International Rice Congress in October 2018 in Singapore, members of the Rice Diseases Project Team officially launched the eBook, Rice Diseases: Their Biology and Selected Management Practices. View Hei’s discussion on the future plans for this online resource.

View presentations and testimonials given during Hei’s farewell dinner at IRRI on 6 March 2020.

See https://ricetoday.irri.org/hei-leung-renowned-former-irri-principal-scientist-passes-away/