ORCID                           0000-0003-2968-0081

CONTACT                      [email protected]

EDUCATION

2012                            PhD, University of Aix-Marseille II & CNRS, France

2006                             Bachelor of Science in Microbiology, Shandong University, PR China

ScienTific focus areas

bacterial second messengers, their intracellular homeostasis and target proteins in bacterial tolerance to stresses including antibiotics and phages.

POSITIONS

• 2024, Associate Professor, University of Copenhagen, Denmark
• 2019-2024, Tenure Track Assistant Professor, University of Copenhagen, Denmark
• 2016-2018, MSCA Research Fellow & Postdoc, Centre of Bacterial Stress Response and Persistence (BASP), University of Copenhagen, Denmark
• 2013-2016, EMBO Research Fellow & Visiting Researcher, Centre of Molecular Bacteriology and Immunity (CMBI), Imperial College London, UK
• 2012, Research Associate, Yale University School of Medicine, US

academic honors, Selected

• Marie Skłodowska-Curie Individual Fellowship, 2016-2018
• EMBO Long-Term Fellowship (ALTF 721-2013), 2013-2016

MAIN CURRENT FUNDING

• Danmarks Frie Forskningsfond (DFF) Research Project 1 (FNU) (2032-00030B, 2022-2025, 2.9 M DKK)
• Marie Skłodowska Curie COFUND/KU TALENT PhD program (801199, 2020-2023, 1.7 M DKK)
• Novo Nordisk Foundation, Project Grant (NNF19OC0058331, 2020-2022, 1.2 M DKK)
• Marie Skłodowska Curie individual grant (707138, 2016-2018, 1.5 M DKK)

SUPERVISION AND TEACHING

Supervised 8 MSc, 7 BSc students, 5 PhD students

Teaching

• Molecular Microbiology (15 ECTS), Bachelor course, course responsible: Yong Zhang

–Been leading this course from the year 2019/2020.

• Molecular Biology (15 ECTS) (2019-2021), for the Biomedicine bachelor students, course responsible: Michael Lisby
• Principal Concepts in Molecular Microbiology, Master course, course responsible: Niles-Ulrik Frigaard.

Reviewer and grant evaluation activities

• Serve as reviewer for Cell, Molecular Cell, Nature, Nature Microbiology, Nature Communication, PLoS Biology, Molecular Microbiology, Environmental Microbiology, Biofilm, JoVE etc
• Co-reviewer of Israel Science Foundation grant
• Co-reviewer of ERC Consolidating grant
• Reviewer of the National Science Centre Poland grants

BIBLIOMETRICS (as of May, 2023)

(17 publications in total of 665 citations, with 7 of first authorship and 5 of corresponding authorship; h-index = 10; publon)

Chronic and recurrent infections are often caused by multidrug resistant and tolerant bacteria, also called persisters, which cause a global healthcare crisis to be addressed urgently. The bacterial “alarmone” molecule (p)ppGpp is one of the key signaling molecules critical for persister cell formation. Deep understanding of the underlying mechanisms is anticipated to provide valuable insights which could be exploited to counteract persistent bacterial cells. However, the exact mechanisms operating remain largely unknown. We recently used the systems biology tool, DRaCALA, and identified one third more novel (p)ppGpp binding proteins in E. coli (1). Subsequent study (2) of one target protein PpnN deciphered a delicate molecular mechanism that  E. coli, and probably many other bacteria, use to balance bacterial proliferation and persistence. Studies of other identified (p)ppGpp target proteins are undergoing. For further details, visit our webpage.

We are always looking for ambitious PhD and Post-Doc candidates with strong interests in the fields of Microbial Stress Response, enzymology and antibiotic tolerance (persistence), and phage-bacteria interactions. Please refer to our Google homepage above and/or contact Yong directly ([email protected]), and include in the inquiry a motivation letter, short CV.

1. Yong Zhang*, Eva Zborníková, Dominik Rejman and Kenn Gerdes*. 2018. Novel (p)ppGpp binding and metabolizing proteins of Escherichia coli. mBio 9:e02188-17. https://doi.org/10.1128/mBio.02188-17. (*co-corresponding)

2. Zhang E. Yong#*, Bærentsen L Rene#, Tobias Fuhrer, Uwe Sauer, Kenn Gerdes, Brodersen E. Ditlev*. (p)ppGpp regulates a bacterial nucleosidase by an allosteric two-domain switch. Mol Cell (2019). 74(6):1239-1249.e4 (*co-corresponding author; # equal contribution)

3. Kristina Kronborg, Yong E. Zhang*. Cyclic AMP competitively inhibits periplasmic phosphotases to coordinate nutritional growth and competence of Haemophilus influenzae. J Bio Chem. 2023 Oct 26. DOI: 10.1016/j.jbc.2023.105404 (published online; selected as an Editors’ Pick)