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Jian Zhou

  • Department of Human Genetics
    Assistant Professor
  • 615 Michael Street
    Suite 346
    Atlanta, GA 30322
Head shot of Jian Zhou

Overview

Jian Zhou, PhD, is an Assistant Professor who joined the Department of Human Genetics in January 2024. Prior to Emory he was at Baylor College of Medicine, where he served as Postdoctoral Associate in the laboratory of Huda Zoghbi, MD, BCM, and investigated the molecular basis of autism and neurodevelopmental disorders and the pathogenesis of Rett syndrome. His Emory lab is located on the third floor of WBRB, lab 325, where he is conducting studies of the interplay between autism, neuronal activity, and circadian rhythm.

Chromatin regulators and transcription factors orchestrate neuronal gene expression that gives rise to complex human behaviors. These processes often go awry in neurodevelopmental conditions such as Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASDs). The goal of Zhou lab is to gain fundamental insights into brain development and ASD pathogenesis to develop new therapeutic strategies. Zhou lab will use a multi-disciplinary approach to dissect a group of molecularly related ASD disease models, drawing on the expertise in chromatin biology, biochemistry, chronobiology, mouse and human genetics, and neural engineering. The lab is particularly interested in the following questions:

1) What is the molecular basis of phenotypic convergence and divergence in heterogenetic ASDs?
2) How does neural activity respond and contribute to behaviors in health and disease? Can we modulate neural activity to treat syndromic ASDs?
3) Is there a genetic basis for sleep problems in ASDs and can other ASD symptoms be ameliorated by correcting circadian and sleep rhythm?

Academic Appointment

  • Assistant Professor, Department of Human Genetics, Emory University School of Medicine
  • Assistant Professor, Department of Pediatrics, Emory University School of Medicine

Education

Degrees

  • Postdoc from Baylor College of Medicine
  • Ph.D. from Texas A&M University
  • B.S. from Wuhan University

Research

Publications

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