After postdoctoral training with Dr. Craig C. Mello in the RNA Therapeutics Institute at Umass Medical School, I joined Westlake University as an Assistant Professor in October 2019. Small noncoding RNAs (snRNAs) play notable roles in regulating gene expression associated with cellular development, differentiation, and growth. In all organisms, snRNAs, including PIWI-interacting RNA (piRNA) and small interfering RNA (siRNA), bind to Argonaute family proteins and direct them to recognize and mediate complementary targets. Using Caenorhabditis elegans as a model system, our recent study identified transcriptome-wide piRNA-target site interactions and uncovered the piRNA targeting rule, suggesting that using this targeting rule, more than thousands of piRNAs function as a surveillance system to detect foreign nucleic acids, such as transposons, therefore maintaining the genome integrity. By combining complementary approaches including genetics, informatics, biochemistry, and biophysics, our research program aims to identify important principles of snRNA regulatory molecular mechanisms and uncover novel biological functions of snRNAs that are likely conserved between different animals. This research will not only deepen our understanding of snRNA’s remarkable functions, but may ultimately lead to the development of snRNA-based tools and better strategies for disease treatment in animals and plants.