Assistant Professor

Office:
M47 Guyot Hall
Washington Road
Princeton NJ  08544
(609) 258-2489 (Tel.)
E-mail: xinningz@princeton.edu
Personal Website: http://scholar.princeton.edu/xinningz/

The Zhang laboratory, opened in early 2017, is interested in microbial nutrient and energy transfer in both past and present environments.  Our approach is interdisciplinary, drawing inspiration from culture-based microbiology, molecular microbial ecology, and stable isotope geochemistry. 

Metalloproteins are one of our central research interests as they catalyze nearly all energy transfers in biology. Despite their importance, little is known about the factors that control metalloprotein activity in the environment. This limits our ability to understand and address human-induced changes in climate, elemental cycling, and the energy landscape.  To study the function and evolution of key microbial metalloproteins within carbon and nitrogen cycles, we develop and apply tools to research in both laboratory and field settings.

Opportunities for microbe lovers at both graduate and post-doc levels are available! Please contact me at xinningz@princeton.edu for more information and research themes.