FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – The Department of Animal Science has welcomed Jiangchao Zhao to its faculty. Zhao, assistant professor in the area of bacterial immunology/gastrointestinal and microbiology, comes to the University of Arkansas from the University of Michigan where he was a postdoctoral fellow and a senior scientist.

 "We are excited to have someone with Dr. Zhao's expertise in the gut microbiome," said Michael Looper, animal science department head. "This area complements several disciplines in animal science."

Zhao will focus his research on the roles that human and animal microbiome play in health and disease. "I look forward to exciting collaborations with the experts in the department to replace antibiotic feed additives and lead to more efficient, sustainable and healthier animal production," he explained.

His goal is to develop prebiotics and probiotics to increase feed utilization, animal growth and performance; as well as to identify non-invasive biomarkers for accurate diagnosis and prognosis of human and animal respiratory and gastrointestinal tract diseases.

"He is quickly developing a nationally recognized and extramurally-funded research program focused on enhancing efficiency of food production, nutrient retention, and qualities of human food products," Looper said.

After receiving both his bachelor's and master's degrees in plant pathology from China Agricultural University, Zhao moved to the U.S. Once stateside, he earned his doctorate in environmental microbiology and a graduate certificate in bioinformatics from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. He joined the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture and the Dale Bumpers College of Agricultural, Food and Life Sciences department of animal science in early April.