Background Information: 

Dr. Zhang received his BS in Chemistry from Nanjing University and PhD in Chemistry from Texas Tech University. His research focuses on plant-probiotic mutualism with a particular interest in epigenetic regulation and bioactive metabolites that mediate interorganismal interactions. His work has yielded several significant original discoveries, most notably the plant latent defense response (LDR) to probiotics and RNA-dependent extracellular traps. With 80+ publications (>11,000 citations; H-index 43), his work has been featured in dedicated articles by Nature Reviews Microbiology, Nature Plants, EMBO Journal, etc. He serves as a consulting expert for multiple prestigious research funding and policy organizations worldwide and has been consistently ranked among the Stanford University/Elsevier World’ s Top 2% Scientists (2020–present).

Research Field:

Plants naturally harbor a variety of probiotics that are critical for plant fitness and resilience under varying environmental conditions. Understanding how plants regulate and benefit from probiotics is essential not only for comprehending mutualistic associations, but also for devising strategies to leverage microbial capabilities for achieving environmentally sustainable agriculture. 

Educational Background:

2002/09-2007/08: PhD, Department of Chemistry & Biochemistry, Texas Tech University, USA

1998/09-2002/05: BS, Department of Chemistry, Nanjing University, China

Work Experience:

2025/03-Present: Principal Investigator, Minister of Science, Eastern Institute of Technology at Ningbo, China

2020/05-2025/02: Principal Investigator, Shanghai Center for Plant Stress Biology, Center for Excellence in Molecular Plant Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences

2014/10-2020/04: Principal Investigator, Shanghai Center for Plant Stress Biology, Shanghai Institute of Biological Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences

2011/01 – 2014/10: Postdoctoral Fellow/Research Associate, Department of Horticulture & Landscape Architecture, Purdue University, USA

2009/12 – 2010/12: Postdoctoral Fellow, Department of Botany & Plant Sciences, University of California, Riverside, USA

2007/08 – 2009/12: Postdoctoral Fellow, Department of Chemistry & Biochemistry, Texas Tech University, USA

Awards and Honors:

The World’s Top 2% Scientists List by Stanford University/ Elsevier (2020 - present)

Elsevier Highly Cited Chinese Researcher (2023, 2024)

Representative Works:

General Information

80+ SCI papers

Total citations >11, 000, and H-index = 43 (Google Scholar)

Google Scholar：

https://scholar.google.com/citations?hl=en&user=YSudtGUAAAAJ

ORCID：

https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0695-3593

10 Representative Works (* indicates corresponding authors; IF is 5-year average impact factor of the journal)

1. Zhang H * (2023) Plant latent defense response against compatibility. ISME J. 17(6): 787-791.  【Review, IF = 11.8, Nature Index Journal】 

This article defines the innovative concept of the host latent defense response (LDR) to probiotics and illustrates the importance of the LDR and the key scientific questions in this novel cutting-edge area of research.  

2. Zhang H*, Lang Z, Zhu JK* (2018) Dynamics and function of DNA methylation in Plants. Nat Rev Mol Cell Biol. 19: 489-506.    【Review, IF = 115.5】

3. Zhang H*, Zhu J, Gong Z, Zhu JK* (2022) Abiotic stress responses in plants. Nat Rev Genet. 23(2):104-119.  【Review, IF = 52.3】

4. Morcillo RJL, Singh SK, An G, He D, Vílchez JL, Tang K, Yuan F, Sun Y, Shao C, Zhang S, Yang Y, Wang W, Gao J, Huang W, Lei M, Zhu J-K, Macho AP, Paré PW, Zhang H * (2020) Rhizobacterium-derived diacetyl modulates plant immunity in a phosphate-dependent manner. EMBO J. 39 (2): e102602.   【Research article, IF = 11.0, Nature Index Journal】

This paper is the first to report that microbial specific non-pathogenic factor induces latent defense response (LDR) to probiotics in plants, and together with the representative paper 5, it discloses an exciting new area of research for mutualism. It was recommended by EMBO J. with a highlighting commentary (Zuccaro, 2020).

5. Yang Y, Chen S, Wu X, Peng L, Vílchez JI, Kaushal R, Liu X, Singh SK, He D, Yuan F, Lv S, Morcillo RJL, Wang W, Huang W, Lei M, Zhu J-K, Paré PW, Zhang H * (2022) Plant latent defense response to microbial non-pathogenic factors antagonizes compatibility. Natl. Sci. Rev.  9(8): nwac109.  【Research article, IF = 18.6】

6. He D, Singh SK, Peng L, Kaushal R, Vílchez JI, Shao C, Wu X, Zheng S, Morcillo RJL, Paré PW, Zhang H * (2022) Flavonoid-attracted Aeromonas sp. from the Arabidopsis root microbiome enhances plant dehydration resistance. ISME J. 16: 2622-2632.  【Research article, IF = 11.8, Nature Index Journal】

This article revealed the important role and molecular mechanism of flavonoids in mediating mutualism between Aeromonas spp. and plants. It was selected by ISME J. as one of the best research paper (https://www.nature.com/collections/ijddagebeb) and was recommended by Nature Reviews Microbiology  (Hofer, 2022).

7. Vílchez JI, Yang Y, He D, Zi H, Peng L, Lv S, Kaushal R, Wang W, Huang W, Liu R, Lang Z, Miki D, Tang K, Paré PW, Song CP, Zhu JK, Zhang H * (2020) DNA demethylases are required for myo-inositol-mediated mutualism between plants and beneficial rhizobacteria. Nat Plants. 6: 983-995.   【Research article, IF = 17.1】

This article disclosed for the first time a clear connection between epigenetic regulation and plant-microbe mutualism. Together with the representative paper 8, this report elucidates the significant roles of epigenetic regulation in the shaping of plant root microbiome. It was recommended by Nature Plants with a highlighting commentary (Wilkinson and Ton, 2020). 

8. Kaushal R, Peng L, Singh SK, Zhang M, Zhang X, Vilchez JI, Wang Z, He D, Yang Y, Lv S, Xu Z, Morcillo RJ L, Wang W, Huang W, Pare PW, Song C-P, Zhu J-K, Liu R, Zhong W, Ma P, Zhang H * (2021) Dicer-like proteins influence Arabidopsis root microbiota independent of RNA-directed DNA methylation. Microbiome 9: 57.   【Research article, IF = 17.9】

9. Singh SK, Sun Y, Yang Y, Zuo Z, Wu X, Shao C, Peng L, Paré PW, Zhang H * (2022) Bacterial diacetyl suppresses abiotic stress-induced senescence in Arabidopsis. J Integr Plant Biol. 64: 1135-1139.   【Research article, IF = 9.3】

This work discovered a bacterial metabolite that could be a valuable molecular tool for disentangling the complex crosstalk between plant responses to biotic and abiotic stimuli, in addition to developing crop protectors against premature senescence. This discovery was selected by Journal of Integrative Plant Biology as a breakthrough report.

10. Zhang, H.*, Tang K, Qian, W., Zhang, H., Wang, P.C., Wang, B., Duan, C., Lang, Z., Yang, Y., Zhu, J.-K.* (2014) An Rrp6-like Protein Positively Regulates Non-coding RNA Levels and DNA Methylation in Arabidopsis. Mol Cell 54: 418-430.   【Research article, IF = 16.6, Nature Index Journal】

This work disclosed the functional importance, and the underlying molecular mechanism, of RNA retention to RNA-directed DNA methylation.