Liang Zhou, M.D., Ph.D.

Liang Zhou, MD, PhD, is a Professor in the Department of Infectious Diseases and Immunology (ID&I), College of Veterinary Medicine, at the University of Florida. Dr. Zhou received his MD from Nanjing Medical University (NMU), China, in 1996 and his PhD from the University of California, Los Angeles, Department of Microbiology, Immunology, and Molecular Genetics in 2004.

Dr. Zhou is a molecular immunologist with specialization in two major areas: mucosal immunity and lymphocyte development/differentiation. His research focuses on environmental impact (e.g., microbes and dietary components) on host immunity, especially in mucosal tissues. The majority of his research utilizes mouse genetic models, molecular and cellular immunological approaches, and genome-based technologies. 

In 2015, Dr. Zhou moved to the University of Florida from Northwestern University as part of UF’s Preeminence Initiative in Mucosal Immunology.

Dr. Zhou is actively involved in mucosal immunology research. Over the years, he has published work in various high impact journals, including Cell, Nature, Immunity, Nature Immunology, The Journal of Experimental Medicine, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS), Science Translational Medicine, and Mucosal Immunology. During the past four years, Dr. Zhou has published four papers as a corresponding author in Immunity elucidating the molecular regulation of a type of innate lymphoid cells (group 3 innate lymphoid cells—ILC3s). His papers are highly cited and have been considered landmark discoveries in the field of immunology.

As a result of his successful research, Dr. Zhou has received various prestigious awards, including being named an International Cytokine Society Young Investigator, a Cancer Research Institute Investigator, a Pew Scholar in Biomedical Sciences, and a Burroughs Wellcome Fund Investigator in the Pathogenesis of Infectious Disease. He has also been invited to give talks at numerous meetings and institutions nationally and internationally, and his work has been continuously funded by NIH and other private funding agencies since 2005.

Dr. Zhou’s research on the crosstalk between environmental factors and the host immune system in order to control bacterial infections while maintaining immune homeostasis may represent a novel target for immunologic intervention in preventing and treating infectious diseases. His research may also reveal novel therapies through modulation of Ahr activity for autoimmunity and cancer.

0000-0002-4644-7903

• Cancer
• Gene expression
• Infection
• Inflammation
• Metabolism
• Microbiome
• Mucosal immunology