|
 |
Jianzhi Zhang
Associate Professor
Ph. D., Genetics, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, 1998
U-M affiliation(s)
Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology
Center for Statistical Genetics
Bioinformatics Program
Contact information
University of Michigan
1075 Kraus Natural Science Bldg.
830 N. University
Ann Arbor, MI 48109-1048
Phone: (734) 763-0527
Fax: (734) 763-0544
Email: jianzhi@umich.edu
|
|
|
|
Fields of study
Molecular and genomic evolution
Academic background
B. S., Fudan University, Shanghai, China, 1992; Ph. D., Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, 1998; Fogarty postdoctoral fellow, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, Bethesda, MD, 1999-2001; Assistant Professor, Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Michigan, 2001-2005; Associate Professor, Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Michigan, 2005-present.
Graduate students
Ben-Yang Liao, Wendy Grus, Meg Bakewell, Zhi Wang and Wenfeng Qian
Zhang Lab home page
News
Hats off to Zhang
Professor Jianzhi (George) Zhang has received two grants; one is from the National Institutes of Health for his study of evolution of vertebrate sensory genes. The $798,000 grant is for four years. This grant will support the study of micro and macroevolution of vomeronasal and taste receptor genes in vertebrate animals. Specific aims include population genetic and evolutionary analyses of vomeronasal pheromone receptor genes in two closely related mouse species (Mus musculus and M. domesticus), study of the origin of the vertebrate vomeronasal system, and comparative analysis of evolutionary patterns of bitter taste receptor genes and sweet/umami receptor genes.
The University of Michigan Center for Computational Medicine and Biology has given Zhang a two-year $80,000 grant for his work on understanding duplicate gene evolution by computational and experimental functional genomics. Anuj Kumar of the Life Sciences Institute and Molecular, Cellular and Developmental Biology is co-prinicpal investigator of the grant. This grant will use the budding yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae and its relatives as model organisms to study how gene expression and function diverge after gene duplication. They will use a functional genomic approach with both computational and experimental methods.
Human-chimp gene study upsets long-held view
Put a human and a chimpanzee side by side, and it seems obvious which lineage has changed the most since the two diverged from a common ancestor millions of years ago. Such apparent physical differences, along with human speech, language and brainpower, have led many people to believe that natural selection has acted in a positive manner on more genes in humans than in chimps.
New research by Professor Jianzhi (George) Zhang challenges that human-centered view.
Zhang’s human-chimp gene study was published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences the week of April 16 – 20, 2007. His results have been widely reported in the media worldwide.
See a humorous take on Prof. Zhang's research on "The Colbert Report"
Listen to NPRs "Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me!" Click on Panel Round Two.
|
|
|
