Xinning Zhang

Xinning Zhang is Assistant Professor of Geosciences at Princeton University, where her research examines microbial controls on biogeochemical cycles using isotope techniques and molecular tools. Her lab investigates microbial metabolic strategies under environmental constraints.

Key research areas include:

• Microbial nitrogen and carbon transformations
• Isotope fractionation in biological systems
• Role of trace metals in microbial metabolism
• Environmental constraints on nutrient acquisition

Methodologically, Zhang integrates geochemical measurements, stable isotope techniques, genomic analysis, and metabolic modeling across scales from cellular to ecosystem levels. Recent work advances understanding of alternative nitrogen fixation pathways and isotope signatures of microbial metabolism.