Location: Home > Scientists
  Principal Investigators
Name:
 Xiangjiang Zhan
Subject:
 Genomics
Tel/Fax:
 +86-10-64807803  /  +86-10-64807099
E-mail:
 zhanxj@ioz.ac.cn
Address:
 Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, No.1-5, Beichen West Road, Chaoyang District, Beijing, China
More:
 Laboratory of Population and Evolutionary Geneticss      
Resume:

I joined the Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences as a full professor in 2014, which was supported by the “The Recruitment Program of Global Youth Experts” of China. Currently, I am the principal investigator of Lab of Population and Evolutionary Genetics.

I got my PhD degree in the Institute of Zoology, CAS in 2006, and was awarded “Distinguished PhD dissertation of Chinese Academy of Sciences”. In 2008, I went to Cardiff University, UK, for the post-doctoral training and became a lecturer in School of Biosciences of Cardiff University in September, 2013. Up to date, I have published 64 papers in scientific journals, including Nature, Nature Genetics, Nature Communications, Current Biology, Cell Research, Genome Biology, Molecular Biology and Evolution, Molecular Ecology, Science and Ecology, and many of them were highlighted and recommended by Nature, Science, Faculty 1000, BBC, etc. My team has published the first raptor genomes and identified a series of evolutionary features for their predatory lifestyle. We have identified the main force for the formation of bird migration routes and the genetic basis for long distance migration. We have also conducted the first wildlife population genomics study, where we have reconstructed the complete demographic history of the giant pandas.

Currently, my research team focuses on animal migration, flight and adaptation to extreme environments.

Research Interests:
ornithology, evolutionary genetics of birds and small mammals living in extreme environments

Awards and Honors:
  1. The Ho Leung Ho Lee Foundation Youth Innovation Prize (2022)
  2. Top 10 scientific advances of China (2021)
  3. Top 10 advances in life sciences of China in (2021)
  4. State Award of Science and Technology (2nd class), China (2019)
  5. Distinguished PhD dissertation of Chinese Academy of Sciences (Top 49; 2008)

Professional Activities:

Honorary visiting professor of Cardiff University, UK; Editorial Board of Science Bulletin、 Philosophical Transactions B, Heredity and Integrative Zoology

Research Grants:
  1. National Natural Science Foundation for Distinguished Young Scholar
  2. National Key Programme of Research and Development, Ministry of Science and Technology
  3. Newton Advanced Fellowship, Royal Society, UK

Selected Publications:
  1. Gu ZR, Pan SK, Lin ZZ, Hu L, Dai XY, Chang J, Xue YC, Su H, Long J, Sun MR, Ganusevich S, Sokolov V, Sokolov A, Pokrovsky I, Ji F, Bruford MW, Dixon A, Zhan XJ*. 2021. Climate-driven flyway changes and memory-based long-distance migration. Nature, 591: 259-264. (Cover story)
  2. Gu ZR, Dixon A, Zhan XJ*. 2024. Genetics and evolution of bird migration. Annual Review of Animal Biosciences, 12:11.1-11.23.
  3. Chen YH, Dai Q, Zhou J, Tang DN, Li DZ, Wei FW, Zhan XJ*. 2023. Toward a predictable cask theory of species extinction assessment in the Anthropocene. Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment, in press.
  4. Hu L, Long J, Lin Y, Gu ZR, Su H, Dong XM, Lin ZZ, Xiao Q, Batbayar N, Bold B, Deutschová L, Ganusevich S, Sokolov V, Sokolov A, Patel HR, Waters PD, Graves JAM, Dixon A, Pan SK*, Zhan XJ*. 2022. Arctic introgression and chromatin regulation facilitated rapid Qinghai-Tibet Plateau colonization by an avian predator. Nature Communications,13: 6413.
  5. Xu DM, Yang CP, Sheng QS, Pan SK, Liu Z, Zhang TZ, Zhou X, Lei ML, Chen P, Yang H, Zhang T, Guo YT, Zhan XJ*, Cheng YB*, Shi P*. 2021. A single mutation underlying phenotypic convergence for hypoxia adaptation on the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau. Cell Research, 31: 1032-1035.
  6. Fan RW, Gu ZR, Guang XM, Marín JC, Varas V, González BA, Wheeler JC, Hu YF, Li EL, Sun XH, Yang XK, Zhang C, Gao WJ, He JP, Munch K, Corbett-Detig R, Barbato M, Pan SK, Zhan XJ*, Bruford MW*, Dong CS*. 2020. Genomic analysis of the domestication and post-Spanish conquest evolution of the llama and alpaca. Genome Biology, 21: 159.
  7. Pan SK, Lin Y, Liu Q, Duan JZ, Lin ZZ, Wang YS, Wang XL, Lam SM, Zou Z, Shui GH, Zhang Y, Zhang ZW, Zhan XJ*. 2019. Convergent genomic signatures of flight loss in birds suggest a switch of main fuel. Nature Communications, 10: 2576.
  8. Pan SK, Bruford MW, Wang YS, Lin ZZ, Gu ZR, Hou X, Deng XM, Dixon A, Graves JAM, Zhan XJ*. 2018. Transcription-associated mutation promotes RNA complexity in highly expressed genes-a major new source of selectable variation. Molecular Biology and Evolution, 35: 1104-1119.
  9. Hou X, Xu PW, Lin ZZ, Urban-Jackson J, Dixon A, Bold B, Xu JL*, Zhan XJ*. 2018. An integrated tool for microsatellite isolation and validation from the reference genome and their application in the study of breeding turnover in an endangered avian population. Integrative Zoology, 13: 553-568. (Cover story)
  10. Pan SK, Zhang TZ, Rong ZQ, Hu L, Gu ZR, Wu Q, Dong SS, Liu Q, Lin ZZ, Deutschova L, Li XH, Dixon A, Bruford MW*, Zhan XJ*. 2017. Population transcriptomes reveal synergistic responses of DNA polymorphism and RNA expression to extreme environments on the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau in a predatory bird. Molecular Ecology, 26: 2993-3010.
  11. Zhan XJ, Dixon A, Batbayar N, Bragin E, Z Ayas et al. 2015. Exonic versus intronic SNPs: contrasting roles in revealing the population genetic differentiation of a widespread bird species. Heredity, 114: 1-9. (Cover story)
  12. Jarvis ED,……, Zhan XJ…... 2014. Whole genome analyses resolve early branches in the tree of life of modern birds. Science, 346: 1320-1331. (Cover story)
  13. Zhan XJ, Pan SK, Wang JY, Dixon A, He J et al. 2013. Peregrine and saker falcon genome sequences provide insights into evolution of a predatory lifestyle. Nature Genetics, 45: 563-566. (Highlighted by Faculty 1000)
  14. Zhao SC#, Zheng PP#, Dong SS#, Zhan XJ#, Wu Q# et al. 2013. Whole-genome sequencing of giant pandas provides insights into demographic history and local adaptation. Nature Genetics, 45: 67-71. (#contributed equally) (Cover story)
  15. Zhan XJ, Zheng YF, Wei FW, Bruford MW, Jia CX. 2011. Molecular evidence for Pleistocene refugia at the eastern edge of the Tibetan Plateau. Molecular Ecology, 20: 3014-3026. 
  16. Zhan XJ, Zhang ZJ, Wu H, Goossens B, Li M, Jiang SW, Bruford WM, Wei FW. 2007. Molecular analysis of dispersal in giant panda. Molecular Ecology, 16: 3792-3800.
  17. Zhan XJ, Li M, Zhang ZJ, Goossens B, Chen YP et al. 2006. Molecular censusing doubles giant panda population estimate in a key nature reserve. Current Biology, 16: R451-452. (Cover story and highlighted by Nature, Science etc.)
  18. Zhan XJ, Zhang ZW. 2005. Molecular phylogeny of avian genus Syrmaticus based on the mitochondrial cytochrome b gene and control region. Zoological Science, 22: 427-435.