Professor Zhenbiao Yang primary research focuses on applying synthetic biology in agriculture and biomanufacturing, with key areas including:

1. Studies of auxin signaling mechanisms and their applications in synthetic biology.

2. Design and reconstruction of circuitries underpinning the differentiation of specialized plant cells.

3. Studies of molecular mechanisms for high-yield traits of crops and their applications in germplasm innovation.

4. Studies of duckweed biology and its potential use as an alternative protein source.

5. Engineering plant chassis cells for advanced applications in biomanufacturing.

After being a professor at the Ohio State University (1994-1999) and the University of California, Riverside (1999-2022), Dr. Zhenbiao Yang became a Chair Professor of the Faculty of Synthetic Biology and Director of the Institute of Emerging Agricultural Technology, Shenzhen University of Advanced Technology, and a visiting research fellow as well as the Director of the Center for Agricultural and Plant Synthetic Biology at the Shenzhen Institute of Synthetic Biology Innovation.

Dr. Yang is an internationally known plant biologist and a pioneer and a leader in multiple areas of plant cell biology. His groundbreaking contributions include:

1. Discovering and elucidating the mechanism of cell surface auxin signaling perception and transduction.

2. Unveiling the mechanism for auxin-mediated rapid growth, solving the 50 years-old puzzle of "acid growth hypothesis".

3. Identifying ROP GTPase and ROP-based signaling networks as well as their roles in plant growth, development, and high-yield processes.

4. Establishing the design principles of polar cell growth in plants by elucidating the mechanisms underlying rapid pollen tube growth and leaf epidermal cell morphogenesis.

His current research expands into the realm of plant and agricultural synthetic biology:

1. Elucidating the circuitries governing the differentiation of specialized plant cells by using multi-omics approaches and AI-guided design and reconstruction

2. Undertaking mechanistic studies and optimization of plant chassis for the production of high-value secondary metabolites and recombinant proteins, respectively

3. Investigating duckweed biology and its application as an alternative protein source

4. Developing disruptive technologies for crop breeding

Education

Ph.D. in Plant Molecular Biology (1986–1990): Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University

M.S. in Plant Pathology (1984–1986): Iowa State University

B.S. in Plant Protection (1978–1982): Hainan University (formerly South China Tropical Crops University)

Professional Experience

2024-Present: Director, Institute of Emerging Agricultural Technology, Shenzhen University of Advanced Technology

2023–Present: Chair Professor (Tenured), Shenzhen University of Advanced Technology; Visiting Research Fellow, Institute of Synthetic Biology, Shenzhen Institute of Advanced Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences; Director, Center for Agricultural and Plant Synthetic Biology, Shenzhen Institute of Synthetic Biology Innovation

2003–2022: Professor, University of California, Riverside

2001–2003: Associate Professor, University of California, Riverside

1999–2001: Assistant Professor, University of California, Riverside

1994–1999: Assistant Professor, The Ohio State University, Columbus

1993–1994: Senior Researcher, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University

1990–1993: Postdoctoral Fellow in Plant Molecular and Cell Biology, University of Maryland, College Park

1982–1983: Teaching Assistant, Hainan University(formerly known as South China College of Tropical Crops)

Awards and Honors

1. Associate Member, European Molecular Biology Organization (EMBO) (2024)

2. Fellow, American Association for the Advancement of Science (2005)

3. Pioneer Member, American Society of Plant Biologists (2021)

4. Distinguished Alumni Award, College of Agriculture and Life Sciences of Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University (2010)

5. National Key Talents in 2005 and 2009

International Influence

1. Co-organizer, The Inaugural International Symposium on Agricultural and Plant and Synthetic Biology, Shenzhen, China, December 8th-11th, 2023.

2. Co-organizer, Cold Spring Harbor-Asia Conference on Plant Cell and Developmental Biology, Suzhou, China, May 22nd -26th, 2017.

3. Co-organizer, Auxin 2016 International Conference, Sanya, Hainan, China, October 20th-25th, 2016.

4. Co-organizer, Eleventh International Conference on Frontiers of Plant Biology: From Fundamental to Translational Research, Shanghai, China, October 17th-21st, 2013.

5. Co-organizer, Cold Spring Harbor-Asia Conference on Plant Cell and Developmental Biology, Suzhou, China, June 17th-21st, 2013.

6. Member of the Organizing Committee, The 10th International Symposium on Frontiers in Plant Biology: Signals and the environment, Huangshan, China, November 4th-8th, 2012.

7. Co-chair of the Organizing Committee, International Symposium on frontiers in pollen biology, Shanghai, China. October 27th-28th, 2012.

8. Co-organizer, Cold Spring Harbor-Asian Conference on Plant Cell and Developmental Biology, Suzhou, China, May 31-June 4, 2011.

9. Co-organizer, Eighth International Conference on Frontiers of Plant Biology: Cells and Signals, Wuyishan, Fujian, China, September 23-17, 2010.

10. Session Chair, Cell and Developmental Biology Symposium 2009: Shape and Polarity, RIKEN-CDB Center, Kobe, Japan. March 23-26, 2009.

11. Session Chair—Pollen tube growth, Frontiers in Plant Sexual Reproduction III, Tucson, AZ, October 17-19, 2008.

12. Organizer of Chemical Genetics Workshop at the International Conference on Arabidopsis Research, Beijing, China, June 20-23, 2007.

13. Co-Organizer of Keystone Symposium: Plant Cell Biology, Coeur d'Alene, Idaho, Idaho, March 23-28, 2007.

14. Member of Executive Committee, International Conference on the Frontiers of Plant Molecular Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai.

15. Session Chair, 18th International Congress on Plant Sexual Reproduction, Beijing, China.

16. Co-Organizer of 22nd UCR Plant Biology Symposium Chair of ASPB Mini-symposium.

17. Co-organizer of Genetics Retreat for UCR Genetics Program Editorial Boards.

Editorial Activities

1. 2023-present Advisory Board, Current Biology

2. 2022-present Editorial Board, Seed Biology

3. 2014 Academic Editor, PLOS BIOLOGY

4. 2011-2016 Section Editor, Frontiers in Biology

5. 2011-2017 Associate Editor, 3G (Gene, Genetics and Genomics)

6. 2011-present Associate Editor, Plant Reproduction

7. 2009-2017 Editorial Board, Small GTPases

8. 2008-2010 Editor, Plant Cell and Physiology

9. 2007-present Editorial Board, Molecular Plants

10. 2005-2010 Editorial Board, Cell Research

11. 2004-2015 Editorial Board, Journal of Integrative Plant Biology

12. 2004-2015 Editorial Board, Journal of Genetics and Genomics

13. 2008 Co-editor of the Special Issue in Plant Cell Biology, Molecular Plants

14. 2007 Co-editor of the Special Issue in Plant Cell biology, Journal of Integrative Plant Biology

15. 2004 Co-editor of the Focus Issue in Plant Cytoskeleton, Plant Physiology

16. 2002-2006 Monitoring editor for Plant Physiology

1. PIN2-mediated self-organizing transient auxin flow contributes to auxin maxima at the tip of Arabidopsis cotyledons. Nature Communications (2024). Corresponding Author

2. Root microbiota of tea plants regulate nitrogen homeostasis and theanine synthesis to influence tea quality. Current Biology (2024). Co-Corresponding Author

3. ABLs and TMKs are co-receptors for extracellular auxin. Cell (2023). Co-Corresponding Author

4. Mechano-transduction via the pectin-FERONIA complex regulates ROP6 GTPase signaling in Arabidopsis. Current Biology (2022). Corresponding Author

5. TMK-based cell surface auxin signaling activates cell wall acidification in Arabidopsis. Nature (2021). Corresponding Author

6. Membrane receptor-mediated mechano-transduction. Developmental Cell (2021). Corresponding Author

Full research publications can be found in  Google Scholar (https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=njmedqoAAAAJ&hl=en&oi=ao).