Jiankang Zhu
DistinguishedProfessorofPlantBiology,DepartmentsofHorticultureandLandscapeArchitectureandBiochemistry.Dr.Zhuearnedhisbachelor'sdegreeinsoilsandagriculturalchemistryfromBeijingAgriculturalUniversity;hismaster'sdegreeinbotanyfromtheUniversityofCalifornia,Riverside,andhisdoctorateinplantphysiologyfromPurdue.HecomestoPurduefromtheUniversityofCalifornia,Riverside,wherehewastheJaneJohnsonChairProfessorintheInstituteforIntegrativeGenomeBiologyandDepartmentofBotanyandPlantSciences.Heisinternationallyrenownedforhiscreativeandpath-breakingresearchthathassoughttoelucidatethesignalingpathwaysinplantsthatgoverntheirresponsestoenvironmentalstresses.Hisresearchhascontributedfundamentallytocurrentunderstandingofthemolecular-geneticmechanismsunderlyingsalinitytolerance,droughttolerance,andlowtemperaturestressinplants.Dr.Zhu’slaboratoryhasbeencentralintheefforttoidentifykeygenesthatcouldbemanipulatedtomodifycropresponsestoabioticstresses,withtheultimategoalsofbothenhancedagricultureproductivityanddecre