Xuehua Zhong

Xuehua Zhong, professor of biology in Arts & Sciences and director of the Plant & Microbial Biosciences Graduate Program at WashU, focuses on epigenetic regulation of plant traits and environmental adaptation. As the Dean’s Distinguished Professorial Scholar, Zhong studies how plants reprogram epigenetic landscapes in response to environmental changes to meet growth and survival needs.

Zhong is interested in how cellular machines sense intrinsic and extrinsic cues and alter chromatin landscapes to generate adaptive responses. Her research group combines functional genomics, high-throughput proteomics and genomics techniques with traditional genetic and biochemical tools to understand the function and mechanism of epigenetic processes. Zhong and her team are working to develop novel chromatin-based technologies for biomass production and agricultural improvement.