Jiaying Gao's graduate work focused on the functional and morphological characterisation of extracellular vesicles in plants. Utilising advanced electron microscopy techniques, such as CLEM and electron tomography, he helped resolve a long-standing debate regarding the existence, nature, and identity of plant extracellular vesicles. During his PhD, he investigated the structure and trafficking of various organelles, including Golgi-derived vesicles, the endoplasmic reticulum, autophagosomes, and vacuoles. By combining electron tomography with light microscopy, he visualised detailed three-dimensional membrane structures at high resolution in a near-native state. Looking ahead, he aims to integrate their experimental skills with advanced imaging systems to better understand protein trafficking and conformational changes, ultimately elucidating their roles in mediating organelle function.