I am a microbial ecologist interested in understanding how microbes and viruses impact biogeochemistry and climate change and how they evolve in the environment. I am also a bioinformatics funs and can code in Bash, Python, and R to support microbial ecologists in studying microbes and viruses using computational methods.

My current research projects used metagenomics to investigate glacial microbes & viruses, aiming to understand their connections to the co-archived paleoclimate records and their long-term evolution over tens of thousands of years.

Major 1: 070501, Physical Geography (自然地理学)

Major 2: 071300, Ecology (生态学)

Ph.D.       Microbiology, Institute of Microbiology at Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China                 2011-2016

B.S.         Biological Science, College of Life Sciences at Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing, China      2007-2011

07/2025–Present     Professor, PI, Institute of Tibetan Plateau Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China

05/2022–06/2025    Visiting Scholar, Institute for Environmental Genomics, University of Oklahoma, Norman, OK, USA

03/2022–04/2025    Research Associate, Byrd Polar and Climate Research Center, Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, USA

08/2016–02/2022    Postdoctoral Fellow, Byrd Polar and Climate Research Center & Department of Microbiology, Ohio State University OH, USA

(* corresponding aurthor; # co-first author)

1. Guo J, Aroney S, Dominguez-Huerta G … Zhong ZP … Woodcroft BJ, Tyson GW, Rich VI, Sullivan MB, Roux S & Bagby SC. 2025. Mobile genetic elements that shape microbial diversity and functions in thawing permafrost soils. bioRxiv. https://doi.org/10.1101/2025.02.12.637893. (In preprint)
2. Zhu M*, Yao T, Thompson LG, Yang W, Zhu F, Lin D, Zhong ZP, Zhao H, Zhang X, Li S*. 2026. Linking Northeastern Indian subcontinental high temperature to extreme glacier mass loss on the South-Central Tibetan Plateau. J Geophys Res Atmos 131:e2025JD045031.
3. Zhong ZP*, Zablocki O, Li YF, Van Etten J, Mosley-Thompson E, Rich VI, Thompson LG*, Sullivan MB*. 2024. Glacier-preserved Tibetan Plateau viral community probably linked to warm-cold climate variations. Nature Geoscience. 17:912–919. (Highlights: a, Highlighted by Science; b, In the top 0.1% of online interest for all the tracked articles of a similar age; c, Featured by ~100 public media outlets, including The Conversation, Popular Science, and Daily Mail, among others)
4. Zhong ZP, Du J, Köstlbacher S, Pjevac P, Orlić S, Sullivan MB. 2024. Viral potential to modulate microbial methane metabolism varies by habitat. Nature Communications. 15:1857. (Highlights: Featured by EurekAlert! and Earth etc)
5. Zhong ZP, Rich VI, Mosley-Thompson E, Thompson LG. 2024. Glacier ice: A museum of ancient microbes. In: Timmis K, editor. International Microbiology Literacy Initiative (IMiLI) 2024. https://bit.ly/imili-glacier-ancient-microbe.
6. Zhong ZP, Vik D, Rapp JZ, Zablocki O, Maughan H, Temperton B, Deming JW, Sullivan MB. 2023. Lower viral evolutionary pressure under stable versus fluctuating conditions in subzero Arctic brines. Microbiome.11:174.
7. Cooper ZS, Rapp JZ, Shoemaker AMD, Anderson RE, Zhong ZP, Deming JW. 2022. Evolutionary divergence of Marinobacter strains in cryopeg brines as revealed by pangenomics. Front Microbiol. 13:879116.
8. Gregory AC#, Gerhardt K#, Zhong ZP, Bolduc B, Temperton B, Konstantinidis KT, Sullivan MB. 2022. MetaPop: a pipeline for macro- and microdiversity analyses and visualization of microbial and viral metagenome-derived populations. Microbiome. 10:49. [*co-first authors]
9. Zhong ZP, Funing Tian, Gazitúa MC, Roux S, Solonenko NE, Li YF, Davis ME, et al. 2021. Glacier ice archives nearly 15,000-year-old viruses. Microbiome. 9:160. (Highlights: a, Highlighted by Science; b, In the top 0.1% of online interest for the tracked articles of a similar age (ranked 178^th of ~432 k articles in all journals and 1^st in its host journal Microbiome; c, Featured by >300 public media outlets, including Science News, CNN, BBC, Daily Mail, New York Post, Fox News, among others)
10. Pratama AA, Bolduc B, Zayed AA, Zhong ZP, Guo J, Vik D, et al. 2021. Expanding standards in viromics: in silico evaluation of dsDNA viral genome identification, classification, and auxiliary metabolic gene curation. PeerJ. 9: e11447.
11. Zhong ZP, Rapp JZ, Wainaina JM, Solonenko NE, Maughan H, Carpenter SD, et al. 2020. Viral Ecogenomics of Arctic Cryopeg Brine and Sea Ice. mSystems. 5:e00246-20.
12. Zhong ZP, Solonenko NE, Gazitua MC, Kenny DV, Mosley-Thompson E, Rich VI, et al. 2018. Clean low-biomass procedures and their application to ancient ice core microorganisms. Front Microbiol. 9:1094.
13. Zhong ZP, Liu Y, Wang F, Zhou YG, Liu HC, Liu Q, Liu ZP. 2016. Planktosalinus lacus gen. nov., sp. nov., a member of the family Flavobacteriaceae isolated from a salt lake. Int J Syst Evol Microbiol. 66:2084-9.
14. Zhong ZP, Liu Y, Miao LL, Wang F, Chu LM, Wang JL, Liu ZP. 2016. Prokaryotic Community structure driven by salinity and ionic concentrations in plateau lakes of the Tibetan Plateau. Appl Environ Microbiol. 82:1846-58.
15. Zhong ZP, Liu Y, Wang F, Zhou YG, Liu HC, Liu ZP. 2016. Aquisalinus flavus gen. nov., sp. nov., a member of the family Parvularculaceae isolated from a saline lake. Int J Syst Evol Microbiol. 66:1813-7.
16. Hou TT, Zhong ZP, Liu Y, Liu ZP. 2016. Bacterial community characterization of rearing water of marine recirculating aquaculture systems for yellow grouper (Epinephelus awoara). Wei Sheng Wu Xue Bao (translation: Acta Microbiologica Sinica). 56:253-63. (In Chinese with English abstract)
17. Zhong ZP, Liu Y, Wang F, Zhou YG, Liu HC, Liu ZP. 2016. Lacimicrobium alkaliphilum gen. nov., sp. nov., a member of the family Alteromonadaceae isolated from a salt lake. Int J Syst Evol Microbiol. 66:422-9.
18. Zhong ZP, Liu Y, Wang F, Zhou YG, Liu HC, Liu ZP. 2016. Psychroflexus salis sp. nov. and Psychroflexus planctonicus sp. nov., isolated from a salt lake. Int J Syst Evol Microbiol. 66:125-31.
19. Zhong ZP, Liu Y, Liu HC, Wang F, Zhou YG, Liu ZP. 2016. Vibrio salilacus sp. nov., a new member of the Anguillarum clade with six alleles of the 16S rRNA gene from a saline lake. Int J Syst Evol Microbiol. 65:2653-60.
20. Zhong ZP, Liu Y, Wang F, Zhou YG, Liu HC, Liu ZP. 2015. Lacimonas salitolerans gen. nov., sp. nov., isolated from surface water of a saline lake. Int J Syst Evol Microbiol. 65:4550-6.
21. Zhong ZP, Liu Y, Liu HC, Wang F, Zhou YG, Liu ZP. 2015. Marinobacter halophilus sp. nov., a halophilic bacterium isolated from a salt lake. Int J Syst Evol Microbiol. 65:2838-45.
22. Zhong ZP, Liu Y, Zhou YG, Liu HC, Wang F, Liu ZP. 2015. Maritimibacter lacisalsi sp. nov., isolated from a salt lake, and emended description of the genus Maritimibacter Lee et al. 2007. Int J Syst Evol Microbiol. 65:3462-8.
23. Zhong ZP, Liu Y, Hou TT, Liu HC, Zhou YG, Wang F, Liu ZP. 2015. Pseudomonas salina sp. nov., isolated from a salt lake. Int J Syst Evol Microbiol. 65:2846-51.
24. Zhong ZP, Liu Y, Hou TT, Liu HC, Zhou YG, Wang F, Liu ZP. 2015. Marivita lacus sp. nov., isolated from a saline lake. Int J Syst Evol Microbiol. 65:1889-94.
25. Zhong ZP, Liu Y, Hou TT, Zhou YG, Liu HC, Liu ZP. 2015. Belliella aquatica sp. nov., isolated from a saline lake. Int J Syst Evol Microbiol. 65:1622-7.
26. Hou TT, Liu Y, Zhong ZP, Liu HC, Liu ZP. 2015. Thalassotalea marina sp. nov., isolated from a marine recirculating aquaculture system, reclassification of Thalassomonas eurytherma as Thalassotalea eurytherma comb. nov. and emended description of the genus Thalassotalea. Int J Syst Evol Microbiol. 65:4710-5.
27. Sun GD, Jin JH, Xu Y, Zhong ZP, Liu Y, Liu ZP. 2014. Isolation of a high molecular weight polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon-degrading strain and its enhancing the removal of HMW-PAHs from heavily contaminated soil. Int Biodeterior & Biodegrad. 90:23-8.
28. Zhong ZP, Liu Y, Liu HC, Wang F, Song L, Liu ZP. 2014. Idiomarina planktonica sp. nov., isolated from a saline lake. Int J Syst Evol Microbiol. 64:3411-6.
29. Xu Y, Sun GD, Jin JH, Liu Y, Luo M, Zhong ZP, Liu ZP. 2014. Successful bioremediation of an aged and heavily contaminated soil using a microbial/plant combination strategy. J Hazard Mater. 264:430-8.
30. Zhong ZP, Liu Y, Liu HC, Wang F, Zhou YG, Liu ZP. 2014. Roseibium aquae sp. nov., isolated from a saline lake. Int J Syst Evol Microbiol. 64:2812-8.
31. Wang J, Wang F, Chu L, Wang H, Zhong Z, Liu Z, et al. 2014. High genetic diversity and novelty in eukaryotic plankton assemblages inhabiting saline lakes in the Qaidam basin. PLoS One. 9:e112812.
32. Liu Y, Liu LZ, Zhong ZP, Zhou YG, Liu Y, Liu ZP. 2014. Colwellia aquaemaris sp. nov., isolated from the Cynoglossus semilaevis culture tank in a recirculating mariculture system. Int J Syst Evol Microbiol. 64:3926-30.
33. Chen Z, Liu Y, Liu LZ, Zhong ZP, Liu ZP, Liu Y. 2014. Cribrihabitans marinus gen. nov., sp. nov., isolated from a biological filter in a marine recirculating aquaculture system. Int J Syst Evol Microbiol. 64:1257-63.
34. Zhong ZP, Liu Y, Liu LZ, Wang F, Zhou YG, Liu ZP. 2014. Rheinheimera tuosuensis sp. nov., isolated from a saline lake. Int J Syst Evol Microbiol. 64:1142-8.
35. Sun GD, Xu Y, Jin JH, Zhong ZP, Liu Y, Luo M, Liu ZP. 2012. Pilot scale ex-situ bioremediation of heavily PAHs-contaminated soil by indigenous microorganisms and bioaugmentation by a PAHs-degrading and bioemulsifier-producing strain. J Hazard Mater. 233:72-8.
36. Hui L, Zhong Z, Hu B, Yang B, Ji Y, Yu H. 2010. Characteristics of three spiroplasma isolates from honeybee (Apis mellifera). Wei Sheng Wu Xue Bao (translation: Acta Microbiologica Sinica). 50:1366-72. (In Chinese with English Abstract)
37. Zhong Z, Hui L, Qiu X, Zhang W, Du J, Yu H. 2010. Summarization of detection methods for Spiroplasmas. Anhui Agri Sci Bull. 16:44-6. (In Chinese with English Abstract)