Jin Zhou

Zhou Jin, Tenured Associate Professor and PhD Supervisor, recipient of Shenzhen's Outstanding Young Scientist Award and Overseas High-Level Talent Program, holds a Category B position under Shenzhen's Special Support Program. He serves as a committee member of the Marine Ecology Branch of the Chinese Ecological Society and as Associate Editor for the academic journals Frontiers in Marine Science and Frontiers in Microbiology. His primary research focuses on marine microbial ecology, concentrating on algal communities and coral reef environments, with an emphasis on microbial-host-environment interactions. To date, he has published over 120 high-impact SCI papers as first or corresponding author in journals including Nature Communications, Environmental Science & Technology, and Water Research. As the primary inventor, he holds more than 20 authorized national invention patents, with three successfully commercialized, generating a market value of 6 million RMB. He has led over 10 research projects, including three National Natural Science Foundation of China (NSFC) General Projects, one NSFC Young Scientist Project, one Guangdong Provincial Natural Science Foundation Key Project, and various Shenzhen municipal projects. He serves as Director of the SIGS-China Resources Yibao Joint Research Center. As the primary contributor, he has received the Second Prize of China Ocean Science and Technology Award, the Second Prize of Tianjin Science and Technology Progress Award, and the Second Prize of Shenzhen Natural Science Award.

(1) 2005-09 to 2008-07, East China University of Science and Technology, Bioengineering, PhD

(2) 2001-09 to 2004-07, Shanghai Ocean University, Marine Biology, Master

(3) 1997-09 to 2001-07, Hunan Agricultural University, Aquaculture, Bachelor

(1) 2023-01 to Present, Shenzhen International Graduate School, Tsinghua University, Institute for Ocean Engineering, Tenured Associate Professor

(2) 2019-03 to 2022-12, Shenzhen International Graduate School, Tsinghua University, Institute for Ocean Engineering, Associate Professor

(3) 2014-09 to 2019-03, Graduate School at Shenzhen, Tsinghua University, Division of Ocean Science and Technology, Associate Professor

(4) 2013-12 to 2014-12, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, USA, Visiting Scholar

(5) 2010-08 to 2013-11, Graduate School at Shenzhen, Tsinghua University, Division of Ocean Science and Technology, Lecturer

(6) 2008-07 to 2010-07, Graduate School at Shenzhen, Tsinghua University

(7) 2004-08 to 2005-08, Shenzhen Chia Tai Conti (Group) Co., Ltd., R&D Department, Engineer

Associate Editor, Frontiers in Microbiology (2014 - present);

Associate Editor, Frontiers in Marine Science (2014 - present);

Editorial Board Member, BMC Microbiology (2020 - present);

Visiting Professor, University of Nottingham Malaysia (2025 - present)

1) Marine Microbial Ecology and Applied Technology (SIGS), 32 contact hours, 2 credits; SIGS Excellent Course; top 5% in teaching evaluation, 2025;

2) Marine Biological Hazards and Their Prevention and Control (SIGS), 32 contact hours, 2 credits; top 5% in teaching evaluation, 2024

3) Marine Ecotoxicology (SIGS), 32 contact hours, 2 credits; top 5% in teaching evaluation, 2026

1) Since 2011, 19 master students graduated from my lab. One student received excellent thesis award of Tsinghua University in 2020, three students were rated as outstanding graduates of Tsinghua University, and one graduate was awarded the “Winner of Outstanding Achievement in Professional Practice” in China.

2) Supervision of Postdoctoral

There are 2 postdoctors under independent guidance, one of whom has achieved fruitful results, including NSFC and postdoctoral fundings, and the other has published 5 papers in JCR1 district. At present, she works in Hainan University

Research focuses on marine microbial ecology, in particular the regulation of symbiotic relationships by microbial signals, ecological remediation, and the bottom-up and top-down effects they drive. Over the past five years he has led three NSFC projects, two Guangdong key research programs and six Shenzhen municipal projects, and participated in one National Key R&D Program project. He has published more than 170 papers as first or corresponding author, including 110 SCI-indexed papers, 3 ESI Highly Cited Papers, with an h-index of 35. Ongoing projects include programs of the NSFC, the Guangdong Provincial Natural Science Foundation and the Shenzhen Science and Technology Program. Representative papers of the past five years appeared in Nat. Commun., Environ. Sci. Technol., Water Res., J. Nanotechnol. and J. Hazard. Mater. He holds 18 invention patents, 3 of which have been commercialized at a market value of RMB 6 million. He has received the Second Prize of the China Ocean Science and Technology Award (first contributor), the Second Prize of the Shenzhen Natural Science Award (first contributor), the Second Prize of the Innovation Award of the China Association of Inventions (first contributor), and the Second Prize of the Tianjin Science and Technology Progress Award (second contributor). He co-authored one international book (Springer) and one domestic book (Shanghai Jiao Tong University Press), and currently serves as Associate Editor of Frontiers in Microbiology (twice recognized as Outstanding Associate Editor) and as an editorial board member of BMC Microbiology.

(1) National Natural Science Foundation of China (NSFC), General Program, 41976126, Regulatory mechanisms and ecological functions of bacterial floc formation in the phycosphere, 2020-01 to 2023-12, RMB 620,000, completed, Principal Investigator.

(2) Guangdong Provincial Department of Science and Technology, Regional Joint Fund (Key), 2020B1515120012, Screening, molecular mechanisms and biocontrol effects of marine microbial quorum-sensing inhibitors, 2020-10 to 2023-09, RMB 1,000,000, completed, Principal Investigator.

(3) Guangdong Provincial Natural Science Foundation, General Program, 202200765B01, Wetland ecology based on near-natural restoration technology, 2021-01 to 2024-01, RMB 100,000, completed, Principal Investigator.

(4) Science and Technology Program of the Guangdong Provincial Department of Natural Resources, Key technologies for the ecological restoration of typical damaged bays, 2019-01 to 2022-01, RMB 500,000, completed, Principal Investigator.

(5) Shenzhen Science and Technology Innovation Commission, Sustainable Development Program (Key), KCXFZ2020817153116001, Microecological mechanisms and prevention and control technologies of red tides in regional environments, 2021-01 to 2023-12, RMB 2,000,000, completed, Principal Investigator.

(6) NSFC, Effects and mechanisms of cryptochrome on the photosensitivity of corals, 2024-01 to 2026-12, RMB 580,000, ongoing, participant.

(7) Guangdong Provincial Natural Science Foundation, Induction of Vibrio pathogenic agents by quorum-sensing signals, 2025-01 to 2027-12, RMB 100,000, ongoing, Principal Investigator.

(8) Shenzhen Science and Technology Innovation Bureau, Sustainable Development Program, Screening and creation of marine phycotoxins as drug leads, 2024-01 to 2026-12, RMB 3,000,000, ongoing, Principal Investigator.

(9) Shenzhen Science and Technology Innovation Bureau, Sustainable Development Program, Effects and mechanisms of signaling microorganisms on coral co-receptors, 2025-01 to 2027-12, RMB 1,200,000, ongoing, Principal Investigator.

(10) Tsinghua University - China Resources C'estbon Joint Research Center for Microbial Control, 2025-01 to 2028-12, RMB 3,500,000, ongoing, Principal Investigator.

(1) Si Tang; Yaqing Liu; Jianming Zhu; Xueyu Cheng; Lu Liu; Katrin Hammerschmidt; Jin Zhou*; Zhonghua Cai*. Bet hedging in a unicellular microalga, Nat. Comm., 2024, 15(2063): 1-13.

(2) Xinyang Li; Xueyu Cheng; Jialing Wu; Zhonghua Cai; Zongkang Wang; Jin Zhou*; Multi-omics reveals different impact patterns of conventional and biodegradable microplastics on the crop rhizosphere in a biofertilizer environment, Environ. Sci. Technol., 2023, 427(133709) .

(3) Feng, S., Xie, X., Liu, J., Li, A., Wang, Q., Guo, D., Li, S., Li, Y., Wang, Z., Guo, T., Zhou, J*., Tang, D. Y. Y., & Show, P. L. A potential paradigm in CRISPR/Cas systems delivery: at the crossroad of microalgal gene editing and algal-mediated nanoparticles. J. Nanobiotechnol., 2023, 21(1), 370.

(4) Zhang SJ; Zheng YH; Zhu JM; Cai ZH; Zhou J* ; The structure and assembly mechanisms of plastisphere microbial community in natural marine environment, J. Hazard. Mat., 2021, 421(126780).

(5) Zhou J; Zhang BY; Yu K; Du XP; Zhu JM; Zeng YH; Cai ZH*; Functional profiles of phycospheric microorganisms during a marine dinoflagellate bloom, Water Research, 2020, 173(115554).

(6) Zhu, J., Jiang, Y., Tang, S. et al. Bacterial quorum sensing signals reshape phycosphere functions to regulate colony morphology in Phaeocystis globosa. Commun Earth Environ (2026). https://doi.org/10.1038/s43247-026-03973-3

(7) Wu M, Wen X, Liu S, Ngo HH, Cai Z, Zhou J. Unveiling the hidden viral biodiversity and potential ecological functions with global coral holobiont virome database. NPJ Biofilms Microbiomes. 2026 Feb 27;12(1):77. doi: 10.1038/s41522-026-00944-6.

(8) Wu M, Cai Z, Zhou J. Phage triggers spatial sporulation defense trade-offs. ISME J. 2026 Jan 14;20(1):wrag209. doi: 10.1093/ismejo/wrag209.

(9) Han S, Mo Q, Wen X, Wang X, Wang X, Yu Y, Yang Y, Yang C, Cai Z, Zhou J. AI-2 type quorum-sensing signal enhances mercury resistance and adsorption in thermotolerant Bacillus subtilis. J Hazard Mater. 2026 Sep 1;515:143148. doi: 10.1016/j.jhazmat.2026.143148.

(10) Shuo Han, Yuhan Che, Baolin Liao, Xiaozhou Yang, Huu Hao Ngo, Zhonghua Cai, Jin Zhou. Quorum sensing regulation of Vibrio type VI secretion systems in coral disease progress and perspective. Trends Open, 2026, in press.

1) Jin Zhou (co-editor). Principle and operation technology of medical laboratory instruments. Beijing: Scientific Press, July, 2018.

2) Jin Zhou (co-Editor). Chapter 1−5, in: Encyclopedia of oceans. Beijing: Scientific Press,

3) Jin Zhou, Zhonghua Cai. Microbial Social Interactions in Biofilm. In “Implication of quorum sensing systems in biofilm formation and virulenc”，P.V. Bramhachari, Edit, Springer, 2019.

1) Zhou Jin, Yin Peng. Pressure-tolerant Shewanella and its application in algal inhibition, ZL201210596277.6, granted.

2) Zhou Jin, Cai Zhonghua, Chang Hong, Lao Yongmin, Jin Hui, Chen Lu. Rhizobium and its use, ZL201610697617.2, granted.

3) Zhou Jin, Cai Zhonghua, Wang Bo, Chen Lu, Chang Hong, Yu Shichen, Lan Xia. Microorganism, method and kit for promoting the growth, photosynthesis and ciguatoxin secretion of Gambierdiscus, ZL201610920840.9, granted.

4) Zhou Jin, Cai Zhonghua, Ma Zhiping. Method for detecting N-acyl homoserine lactone quorum-sensing signal molecules in samples, ZL201610309598.1, granted.

5) Zhou Jin, Cai Zhonghua, Chang Hong, Lao Yongmin, Jin Hui, Chen Lu, Yu Shichen, Chen Shuwen. Screening and use of microbial biofilm inhibitors, ZL201610697617.2, granted.

6) Zhou Jin, Wu Fan, Cai Zhonghua, Lao Yongmin, Ying Kezhen, Jin Hui. Method for inhibiting algal growth by the combined use of modified clay and algicidal bacteria, ZL201810493097.2, granted.

7) Zhou Jin, Zeng Yanhua, Cai Zhonghua, Cheng Keke, Du Xiaopeng, Zhu Jianming. Degenerate primers for rapid screening and identification of microcystin-degrading bacteria and their application, Application No. 202110515838.4, filed on 2021.05.12.

8) Zhou Jin, Gao Chao, Cai Zhonghua, Zeng Yanhua, Du Xiaopeng, Cheng Keke. Construction method and application of a bacterium with low floc-forming ability, Application No. 202110836740.9, filed on 2021.07.23.

9) Zhou Jin, Du Xiaopeng, Cai Zhonghua, Zeng Yanhua, Cheng Keke, Xu Meiting, Wang Zhaoyi. A microbial quorum-quenching composite agent and its application, granted: ZL202111179356.2.

10) Zhou Jin, Zeng Yanhua, Cai Zhonghua, Cheng Keke, Zhu Jianming. Preparation and application of a lasso peptide quorum-sensing inhibitor, ZL202210879181.4, granted.

1) 2020 China Ocean Science and Technology Award (Second Prize), Chinese Society for Oceanography: Microecological mechanisms and rapid detection technologies of red tides based on quorum-sensing effects, Certificate No. HKJ2020-G-2-A25-01. Ranked 1st (of 7). Awardees: Zhou Jin, Chen Guofu, Tong Mengmeng, Cai Zhonghua, Zhang Chunyun, Jin Hui, Ying Kezhen.

2) 2023 Shenzhen Natural Science Award (Second Prize): Density-signal-regulated algal-bacterial relationships and their driving mechanisms in algal bloom events. Ranked 1st (of 3). Awardees: Zhou Jin, Zeng Yanhua, Lao Yongmin.

3) 2024 Innovation Award of the China Association of Inventions (Second Prize): Microecological characteristics and homeostasis regulation mechanisms of coral holobionts, Certificate No. 2024-CAICX-2-A11. Ranked 1st (of 5). Awardees: Zhou Jin, Ding Wei, Liu Shukai, Li Kangtao, Cheng Xueyu.

4) 2023 Tianjin Municipal Science and Technology Award (Second Prize): Research and application of novel microbial biofilm inhibitors mediated by quorum-sensing signals, Certificate No. 2023JB-2-096-D2. Ranked 2nd (of 7). Awardees: Liu Dingkuo, Zhou Jin, Liu Fang, Cai Zhonghua, Zhang Man, Li Yuan, Hu Pengcheng.