Associate Professor at Shenzhen University of Advanced Technology and a faculty member at the Institute for Future Agriculture.He is a core member of multiple national and regional research projects, including the National Natural Science Foundation of China (NSFC) General Program, international (regional) cooperation and exchange projects, and the Shenzhen Natural Science Foundation.

His research focuses on the ecology of root-associated microbiomes and soil functional maintenance, particularly the interactions between roots and microbes (beneficial and pathogenic) and their genetic regulatory mechanisms under abiotic stress. He pioneered the integration of multi-omics (microbiome, comparative genomics, bacterial culture collections, transcriptomics, metabolomics) with multi-scale (molecular-community-ecosystem) approaches to dissect plant-microbe interactions. He also demonstrated the critical role of root hair developmental regulators and beneficial microbes in shaping drought-responsive rhizosphere microbiomes.

Dr. Wang has authored over 6 SCI-indexed papers with increasing recognition in the field. As the first or co-first author, he has published in prestigious journals such as Nature Communications (2024, 2025), The ISME Journal (2025), iMeta (2022), Science of the Total Environment (2022), and Applied Soil Ecology (2021). He serves as a reviewer for international journals and actively presents his findings at academic conferences.

Plant-microbiome interactions under abiotic stresses (e.g., drought, salinity, alkalinity)

Functional resilience of beneficial microbes and their role in stress mitigation

Bidirectional regulatory factors and signaling molecules mediating plant–microbiome interactions

Sustainable crop–microbe symbiosis in field applications

Education Background

Ph.D., Botany (Sept 2017-Jun 2021): Kunming Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences

Master's Degree, Vegetable Science (Sept 2014-Jun 2017): Northeast Agricultural University

Bachelor's Degree, Horticulture (Sept 2010-Jun 2014): Northeast Agricultural University

Professional Experience

Associate Professor (Mar 2025-Present):Institute for Future Agriculture, Shenzhen University of Advanced Technology

Assistant Researcher (Feb 2024-Feb 2025): Southern University of Science and Technology

Postdoctoral Fellow (Feb 2022-Jan 2024): Southern University of Science and Technology

Senior Visiting Scholar (Sept 2021-Jan 2022): Southern University of Science and Technology

1.Zhenghong Wang#, Zewen Li#, Yujie Zhang, Jingye Liao, Kaixiang Guan, Jingxuan Zhai, Pengfei Meng, Xianli Tang, Dong Tao, Yi Song*. Root hair developmental regulators orchestrate drought-triggered microbiome changes and the interaction with beneficial Rhizobiaceae. Nature Communications, 2024, 15.

2.Qiuhua Yang#, Zhuowen Li#, Kaixiang Guan#, Zhenghong Wang#, Zhijian Liu, Ancheng Huang, Jixian Zhai, Yanping Long, Yi Song*. Comparative single-nucleus RNA-seq analysis revealed localized and cell-type specific pathways governing root–microbiome interactions. Nature Communications, 2025, 16: 3169.

3.Zewen Li1#, Zhenghong Wang1#*, Yujie Zhang1, Kaixiang Guan1, Yi Song*. Identification of stress-alleviating strains from the core drought-responsive microbiome of Arabidopsis ecotypes. The ISME Journal, 2025, wraf067.

4.Zhenghong Wang & Yi Song*. Toward understanding the genetic bases underlying plant-mediated “cry for help” to the microbiota. iMeta, 2022, 1.

5.Zhenghong Wang, Xiang Liu, Wenjun Zhou, Fergus Sinclair, Lingling Shi, Jianchu Xu, Heng Gui. Land use intensification in a dry-hot valley reduced the constraints of water content on soil microbial diversity and multifunctionality but increased CO₂ production. Science of the Total Environment, 2022, 158397.

6.Zhenghong Wang, Tewodros Tesfaye Wubshet, Huafang Chen, Liqing Wu, Huizhao Yang, Jianbo Yang, Stefanie Daniela Goldberg, Jianchu Xu, Heng Gui. Effects of degraded grassland conversion to mango plantation on soil CO₂ fluxes. Applied Soil Ecology, 2021, 167.

#, co-first author; *, co-corresponding author