Prof. Jiangchao Zhao

Jiangchao Zhao is a Professor in the College of Animal Science at South China Agricultural University, China. He received his Ph.D. in Environmental Microbiology from the University of Wisconsin–Madison in 2009 and completed postdoctoral training at the University of Michigan. From 2015 to 2024, he was a faculty member in the Department of Animal Science at the University of Arkansas, before joining South China Agricultural University in 2024.

His research focuses on microbial interactions that influence host health, nutrient utilization, and growth, with particular emphasis on the swine gut microbiome. His work combines longitudinal microbiome analysis, bioinformatics, microbial cultivation, and animal experiments to identify functional bacteria and investigate their roles within intestinal communities. His team has characterized microbial succession across the swine production cycle, examined the effects of microbiota transplantation on growth, and developed cultivation approaches for isolating gut bacteria. Current research investigates how keystone bacteria interact with other community members to influence intestinal function and animal performance..

Professor Zhao has published in journals including PNAS, Current Biology, Microbiome, Gut Microbes, and mSystems. His work also connects microbial ecology with the development of probiotics and other microbiome-based interventions, with the aim of translating mechanistic insights into practical strategies for improving animal health and production.