معرفی
Zheng Zhou is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Animal Science at Michigan State University's College of Agriculture & Natural Resources. He leads the Z Lab, which focuses on ruminant molecular physiology and nutrigenomics. His research program aims to identify key regulatory nodes in metabolism to provide novel solutions for challenges in the dairy industry.
Dr. Zhou earned his BS and MS from Huazhong Agricultural University in China, followed by a PhD from the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign in 2017. He has been an Assistant Professor at Michigan State University since 2017, first in Nutrigenomics (2017-2019) and currently in Ruminant Molecular Physiology (2019-present).
Dr. Zhou's research focuses on two primary areas: reducing the risk of fatty liver in dairy cows and improving metabolic efficiency. His lab integrates experimental approaches in cell biology, biochemistry, and multi-omics to understand physiological and molecular regulatory mechanisms. Current projects include investigating the influence of branched-chain amino acids on liver lipid accumulation and identifying metabolic biomarkers for feed efficiency in dairy cows.
His publication record demonstrates expertise in dairy cow metabolism, with numerous papers on amino acid metabolism, liver function, and feed efficiency. Recent work has particularly focused on branched-chain amino acids and their effects on liver metabolism, inflammation, and oxidative stress in dairy cows.
- USDA-NIFA grant (2021-67015-33383): "Influence of Branched Chain Amino Acids and Branched Chain Ketoacids on Liver Lipid Accumulation in Dairy Cows During Early Lactation"
- Michigan Alliance for Animal Agriculture grant (AA-23-009): "Reducing risk of fatty liver in dairy cows by supplementing aromatic amino acids"
- USDA-NIFA grant (2022-67015-36650): "Metabolic Efficiency of Nutrient Use Contributes to Individual Dairy Cow Variation in Feed Efficiency"
Dr. Zhou advises several graduate students and postdoctoral researchers, including PhD student Ghayyoor Ahmad and postdoc Jayasimha Daddam. His lab also includes undergraduate researchers who contribute to ongoing projects focused on dairy cow metabolism and nutrition.
