Zhao Zhang, PhD
Associate Professor, Duke University
Former RTI Lab: Doctoral Candidate, Zamore Lab
Training Period: 2008–2013
Prior Academic Degree Institution: Beijing Normal University
Awards: NIH Director's Early Independence Award, Larry Sandler Award from the Genetics Society of America, Sontag Distinguished Scientist Award for brain tumor research, and Pew Biomedical Scholar
piRNA Biogenesis and Transposon Silencing in Drosophila: A Dissertation
Dr. Zhang is Associate Professor of Pharmacology and Cancer Biology. He earned his Ph.D. from University of Massachusetts Medical School in 2014. Skipping postdoctoral training, Dr. Zhang established his own research group in 2014 at Carnegie Institution for Science, Department of Embryology, which is affiliated with Johns Hopkins University. In 2019, he was recruited to Duke University as the inaugural Duke Science and Technology Scholar. His lab studies transposons and circular DNA during development and tumorigenesis. His research has been recognized by multiple awards, including NIH Director's Early Independence Award, the Larry Sandler Award from the Genetics Society of America, the Sontag Distinguished Scientist Award for brain tumor research, and Pew Biomedical Scholar.