Dr Jian Zeng
Dr

Jian Zeng

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Background

Dr Jian Zeng is a statistical geneticist, NHMRC Emerging Leadership Fellow and Group Leader at the Institute for Molecular Bioscience, The University of Queensland. His research uses large-scale genomic data to understand the genetic basis of complex traits and diseases, improve polygenic risk prediction, and identify the genes, cell types and biological processes through which genetic risk acts.

His group develops statistical methods and software tools across four interconnected areas:

  • genetic architecture and evolutionary signatures of complex traits;
  • polygenic prediction within and across diverse populations;
  • fine-mapping of causal genetic variants and genes;
  • integration of human genetics with functional and single-cell genomics.

This work addresses major challenges in statistical genetics and precision medicine, including the analysis of whole-genome sequencing data, the reduced accuracy of genetic prediction in underrepresented populations, and the biological interpretation of disease-associated variants. His methods are translated into accessible software used by researchers internationally and are applied to psychiatric, neurological, metabolic and other complex diseases.

Dr Zeng received the IMB Impact Award for Enabling Technology and Method Development in 2021 and the UQ Foundation Research Excellence Award in 2025.

Availability

Dr Jian Zeng is:
Available for supervision

Fields of research

Bioinformatics and computational biology Biological Sciences Epigenetics (incl. genome methylation and epigenomics) Gene mapping Genetics Genetics not elsewhere classified Genomics Statistical and quantitative genetics

Qualifications

  • Doctor of Philosophy, University of Iowa

Research interests

  • Understanding genetic architecture and evolution of complex traits

  • Prediction of polygenic scores of complex traits and diseases

  • Mapping causal variants, genes and regulatory elements using multi-omics data

  • Integration of population genetics with single-cell genomics

Research impacts

Dr Jian Zeng’s research translates advances in statistical genetics into freely available software that helps researchers worldwide analyse genomic data, improve disease-risk prediction, and identify likely causal variants, genes and cell types. His work supports more accurate and equitable precision medicine by enabling earlier identification of disease risk and a deeper understanding of the biological mechanisms that could guide prevention and therapeutic discovery.

Search Professor Jian Zeng’s works on UQ eSpace

67 works between 2011 and 2026
All (67) Journal Article (58) Other Outputs (2) Conference Publication (7)

1 - 20 of 67 works

Featured

2024

Journal Article

Leveraging functional genomic annotations and genome coverage to improve polygenic prediction of complex traits within and between ancestries

Zheng, Zhili, Liu, Shouye, Sidorenko, Julia, Wang, Ying, Lin, Tian, Yengo, Loic, Turley, Patrick, Ani, Alireza, Wang, Rujia, Nolte, Ilja M., Snieder, Harold, Aguirre-Gamboa, Raul, Deelen, Patrick, Franke, Lude, Kuivenhoven, Jan A., Lopera Maya, Esteban A., Sanna, Serena, Swertz, Morris A., Vonk, Judith M., Wijmenga, Cisca, Yang, Jian, Wray, Naomi R., Goddard, Michael E., Visscher, Peter M., Zeng, Jian and LifeLines Cohort Study (2024). Leveraging functional genomic annotations and genome coverage to improve polygenic prediction of complex traits within and between ancestries. Nature Genetics, 56 (5), 1-11. doi: 10.1038/s41588-024-01704-y

Leveraging functional genomic annotations and genome coverage to improve polygenic prediction of complex traits within and between ancestries

Featured

2023

Journal Article

Joint analysis of GWAS and multi-omics QTL summary statistics reveals a large fraction of GWAS signals shared with molecular phenotypes

Wu, Yang, Qi, Ting, Wray, Naomi R., Visscher, Peter M., Zeng, Jian and Yang, Jian (2023). Joint analysis of GWAS and multi-omics QTL summary statistics reveals a large fraction of GWAS signals shared with molecular phenotypes. Cell Genomics, 3 (8) 100344, 100344. doi: 10.1016/j.xgen.2023.100344

Joint analysis of GWAS and multi-omics QTL summary statistics reveals a large fraction of GWAS signals shared with molecular phenotypes

Featured

2023

Journal Article

mBAT-combo: a more powerful test to detect gene-trait associations from GWAS data

Li, Ang, Liu, Shouye, Bakshi, Andrew, Jiang, Longda, Chen, Wenhan, Zheng, Zhili, Sullivan, Patrick F., Visscher, Peter M., Wray, Naomi R., Yang, Jian and Zeng, Jian (2023). mBAT-combo: a more powerful test to detect gene-trait associations from GWAS data. American Journal of Human Genetics, 110 (1), 30-43. doi: 10.1016/j.ajhg.2022.12.006

mBAT-combo: a more powerful test to detect gene-trait associations from GWAS data

Featured

2021

Journal Article

Widespread signatures of natural selection across human complex traits and functional genomic categories

Zeng, Jian, Xue, Angli, Jiang, Longda, Lloyd-Jones, Luke R., Wu, Yang, Wang, Huanwei, Zheng, Zhili, Yengo, Loic, Kemper, Kathryn E., Goddard, Michael E., Wray, Naomi R., Visscher, Peter M. and Yang, Jian (2021). Widespread signatures of natural selection across human complex traits and functional genomic categories. Nature Communications, 12 (1) 1164, 1-12. doi: 10.1038/s41467-021-21446-3

Widespread signatures of natural selection across human complex traits and functional genomic categories

Featured

2021

Journal Article

Correction: Genome-wide analyses of behavioural traits are subject to bias by misreports and longitudinal changes

Xue, Angli, Jiang, Longda, Zhu, Zhihong, Wray, Naomi R., Visscher, Peter M., Zeng, Jian and Yang, Jian (2021). Correction: Genome-wide analyses of behavioural traits are subject to bias by misreports and longitudinal changes. Nature Communications, 12 (1) 988, 988. doi: 10.1038/s41467-021-21294-1

Correction: Genome-wide analyses of behavioural traits are subject to bias by misreports and longitudinal changes

Featured

2019

Journal Article

Improved polygenic prediction by Bayesian multiple regression on summary statistics

Lloyd-Jones, Luke R., Zeng, Jian, Sidorenko, Julia, Yengo, Loïc, Moser, Gerhard, Kemper, Kathryn E., Wang, Huanwei, Zheng, Zhili, Magi, Reedik, Esko, Tõnu, Metspalu, Andres, Wray, Naomi R., Goddard, Michael E., Yang, Jian and Visscher, Peter M. (2019). Improved polygenic prediction by Bayesian multiple regression on summary statistics. Nature Communications, 10 (1) 5086, 1-10. doi: 10.1038/s41467-019-12653-0

Improved polygenic prediction by Bayesian multiple regression on summary statistics

Featured

2018

Journal Article

Genome-wide association analyses identify 143 risk variants and putative regulatory mechanisms for type 2 diabetes

Xue, Angli, Wu, Yang, Zhu, Zhihong, Zhang, Futao, Kemper, Kathryn E., Zheng, Zhili, Yengo, Loic, Lloyd-Jones, Luke R., Sidorenko, Julia, Wu, Yeda, eQTLGen Consortium, McRae, Allan F., Visscher, Peter M., Zeng, Jian and Yang, Jian (2018). Genome-wide association analyses identify 143 risk variants and putative regulatory mechanisms for type 2 diabetes. Nature Communications, 9 (1) 2941, 2941. doi: 10.1038/s41467-018-04951-w

Genome-wide association analyses identify 143 risk variants and putative regulatory mechanisms for type 2 diabetes

Featured

2018

Journal Article

Signatures of negative selection in the genetic architecture of human complex traits

Zeng, Jian, de Vlaming, Ronald, Wu, Yang, Robinson, Matthew R., Lloyd-Jones, Luke R., Yengo, Loic, Yap, Chloe X., Xue, Angli, Sidorenko, Julia, McRae, Allan F., Powell, Joseph E., Montgomery, Grant W., Metspalu, Andres, Esko, Tonu, Gibson, Greg, Wray, Naomi R., Visscher, Peter M. and Yang, Jian (2018). Signatures of negative selection in the genetic architecture of human complex traits. Nature Genetics, 50 (5), 746-753. doi: 10.1038/s41588-018-0101-4

Signatures of negative selection in the genetic architecture of human complex traits

Featured

2018

Journal Article

Integrative analysis of omics summary data reveals putative mechanisms underlying complex traits

Wu, Yang, Zeng, Jian, Zhang, Futao, Zhu, Zhihong, Qi, Ting, Zheng, Zhili, Lloyd-Jones, Luke R., Marioni, Riccardo E., Martin, Nicholas G., Montgomery, Grant W., Deary, Ian J., Wray, Naomi R., Visscher, Peter M., McRae, Allan F. and Yang, Jian (2018). Integrative analysis of omics summary data reveals putative mechanisms underlying complex traits. Nature Communications, 9 (918) 918, 918. doi: 10.1038/s41467-018-03371-0

Integrative analysis of omics summary data reveals putative mechanisms underlying complex traits

2026

Journal Article

Sleep chart of biological ageing clocks in middle and late life (May, 10.1038/s41586-026-10524-5, 2026)

O'Toole, Cliodhna Kate, Song, Zhiyuan, Anagnostakis, Filippos, Yang, Zhijian, Tian, Ye Ella, Duggan, Michael R., Zou, Chunrui, Leng, Yue, Cai, Yi, Bai, Wenjia, Fu, Cynthia H. Y., Rafii, Michael S., Aisen, Paul, Wang, Gao, De Jager, Philip L., Zeng, Jian, Oh, Hamilton Se-Hwee, Zhou, Xia, Walker, Keenan A., Belsky, Daniel W., Zalesky, Andrew, Simonsick, Eleanor M., Resnick, Susan M., Ferrucci, Luigi, Davatzikos, Christos and Wen, Junhao (2026). Sleep chart of biological ageing clocks in middle and late life (May, 10.1038/s41586-026-10524-5, 2026). Nature, 656 (8128), E39-E39. doi: 10.1038/s41586-026-10920-x

Sleep chart of biological ageing clocks in middle and late life (May, 10.1038/s41586-026-10524-5, 2026)

2026

Journal Article

Publisher Correction: Multi-ancestry genome-wide association analyses of refractive error augment genetic discovery and polygenic prediction

Cheng, Fei-Fei, Liu, Xiaoxi, Mi, Hao, Wang, Lizhong, Ma, Ruilei, Guo, Yazhou, Sidorenko, Julia, Jiang, Chen, Islam, Tania, Meguro, Akira, Hikino, Keiko, Ishikawa, Yuki, Tang, Senwei, Li, Teng, Chen, Ruoyan, Wang, Likun, Mägi, Reedik, Metspalu, Andres, Estonian Biobank Research Team, Milani, Lili, Esko, Tõnu, Nelis, Mari, Hudjashov, Georgi, 23andMe Research Team, Auton, Adam, Kwong, Alan, Shastri, Anjali J., Hicks, Barry, Weldon, Catherine H. ... Yang, Jian (2026). Publisher Correction: Multi-ancestry genome-wide association analyses of refractive error augment genetic discovery and polygenic prediction. Nature Genetics, 58 (6), 1448-1448. doi: 10.1038/s41588-026-02643-6

Publisher Correction: Multi-ancestry genome-wide association analyses of refractive error augment genetic discovery and polygenic prediction

2026

Journal Article

Sleep chart of biological ageing clocks in middle and late life

The MULTI Consortium, O’Toole, Cliodhna Kate, Song, Zhiyuan, Anagnostakis, Filippos, Yang, Zhijian, Tian, Ye Ella, Duggan, Michael R., Zou, Chunrui, Leng, Yue, Cai, Yi, Bai, Wenjia, Fu, Cynthia H. Y., Rafii, Michael S., Aisen, Paul, Wang, Gao, De Jager, Philip L., Zeng, Jian, Oh, Hamilton Se-Hwee, Zhou, Xia, Walker, Keenan A., Belsky, Daniel W., Zalesky, Andrew, Simonsick, Eleanor M., Resnick, Susan M., Ferrucci, Luigi, Davatzikos, Christos and Wen, Junhao (2026). Sleep chart of biological ageing clocks in middle and late life. Nature, 1-11. doi: 10.1038/s41586-026-10524-5

Sleep chart of biological ageing clocks in middle and late life

2026

Journal Article

Empirical evaluation of analytic validity of polygenic scores

Lin, Tian, Zeng, Jian, Gordon, Scott D., Wallace, Leanne, Ziser, Laura, Shah, Sonia, Pain, Oliver, Nolte, Ilja M., Snieder, Harold, Lifelines Cohort Study, Aguirre-Gamboa, Raul, Deelen, Patrick, Franke, Lude, Kuivenhoven, Jan A, Lopera Maya, Esteban A, Sanna, Serena, Swertz, Morris A, Vonk, Judith M, Wijmenga, Cisca, James, Paul A., Martin, Nicholas G., Visscher, Peter M., Lee, Eric, Yengo, Loic, Henders, Anjali K. and Wray, Naomi R. (2026). Empirical evaluation of analytic validity of polygenic scores. Genome Medicine, 18 (1) 81, 1-13. doi: 10.1186/s13073-026-01654-6

Empirical evaluation of analytic validity of polygenic scores

2026

Journal Article

Multi-ancestry genome-wide association analyses of refractive error augment genetic discovery and polygenic prediction

Cheng, Fei-Fei, Liu, Xiaoxi, Mi, Hao, Wang, Lizhong, Ma, Ruilei, Guo, Yazhou, Sidorenko, Julia, Jiang, Chen, Islam, Tania, Meguro, Akira, Hikino, Keiko, Ishikawa, Yuki, Tang, Senwei, Li, Teng, Chen, Ruoyan, Wang, Likun, Mägi, Reedik, Metspalu, Andres, Estonian Biobank Research Team, Milani, Lili, Esko, Tõnu, Nelis, Mari, Hudjashov, Georgi, 23andMe Research Team, Auton, Adam, Kwong, Alan, Shastri, Anjali J., Hicks, Barry, Weldon, Catherine H. ... Yang, Jian (2026). Multi-ancestry genome-wide association analyses of refractive error augment genetic discovery and polygenic prediction. Nature Genetics, 58 (5), 1030-1039. doi: 10.1038/s41588-026-02576-0

Multi-ancestry genome-wide association analyses of refractive error augment genetic discovery and polygenic prediction

2026

Journal Article

Genome-wide fine-mapping improves identification of causal variants

Wu, Yang, Zheng, Zhili, Thibaut, Loic, Lin, Tian, Feng, Qian, Cheng, Hao, Yengo, Loic, Goddard, Michael E., Wray, Naomi R., Visscher, Peter M. and Zeng, Jian (2026). Genome-wide fine-mapping improves identification of causal variants. Nature Genetics, 58 (4), 940-951. doi: 10.1038/s41588-026-02549-3

Genome-wide fine-mapping improves identification of causal variants

2026

Journal Article

Distinct genetic profiles influence body mass index between infancy and adolescence

Wang, Geng, McEwan, Samuel, Zeng, Jian, Haile-Mariam, Mekonnen, Yengo, Loic, Goddard, Michael E., Kemper, Kathryn E. and Warrington, Nicole M. (2026). Distinct genetic profiles influence body mass index between infancy and adolescence. Nature Communications, 17 (1) 1594, 1-13. doi: 10.1038/s41467-026-69310-6

Distinct genetic profiles influence body mass index between infancy and adolescence

2026

Journal Article

Multi-organ AI endophenotypes chart the heterogeneity of brain, eye and heart pan-disease

Boquet-Pujadas, Aleix, MULTI Consortium,, Anagnostakis, Filippos, Yang, Zhijian, Tian, Ye Ella, Duggan, Michael R., Erus, Guray, Srinivasan, Dhivya, Joynes, Cassandra M., Bai, Wenjia, Patel, Praveen J., Walker, Keenan A., Zalesky, Andrew, Davatzikos, Christos, Wen, Junhao, Rafii, Michael S., Aisen, Paul, Ferrucci, Luigi and Zeng, Jian (2026). Multi-organ AI endophenotypes chart the heterogeneity of brain, eye and heart pan-disease. Nature Mental Health, 4 (2), 203-230. doi: 10.1038/s44220-025-00560-x

Multi-organ AI endophenotypes chart the heterogeneity of brain, eye and heart pan-disease

2026

Journal Article

Progress in understanding the biological basis of polygenic disorders

Wray, Naomi R., Lin, Tian, Li, A., de Almeida, Valéria Correia, Ziller, Michael Johannes and Zeng, Jian (2026). Progress in understanding the biological basis of polygenic disorders. Current Opinion in Genetics and Development, 97 102433, 102433. doi: 10.1016/j.gde.2025.102433

Progress in understanding the biological basis of polygenic disorders

2026

Journal Article

Author Correction: Genome-wide fine-mapping improves identification of causal variants (Nature Genetics, (2026), 58, 4, (940-951), 10.1038/s41588-026-02549-3)

Wu, Yang, Zheng, Zhili, Thibaut, Loic, Lin, Tian, Feng, Qian, Cheng, Hao, Yengo, Loic, Goddard, Michael E., Wray, Naomi R., Visscher, Peter M. and Zeng, Jian (2026). Author Correction: Genome-wide fine-mapping improves identification of causal variants (Nature Genetics, (2026), 58, 4, (940-951), 10.1038/s41588-026-02549-3). Nature Genetics, 58 (6), 1446-1446. doi: 10.1038/s41588-026-02627-6

Author Correction: Genome-wide fine-mapping improves identification of causal variants (Nature Genetics, (2026), 58, 4, (940-951), 10.1038/s41588-026-02549-3)

2025

Journal Article

Estimation and mapping of the missing heritability of human phenotypes

Wainschtein, Pierrick, Zhang, Yuanxiang, Schwartzentruber, Jeremy, Kassam, Irfahan, Sidorenko, Julia, Fiziev, Petko P., Wang, Huanwei, McRae, Jeremy, Border, Richard, Zaitlen, Noah, Sankararaman, Sriram, Goddard, Michael E., Zeng, Jian, Visscher, Peter M., Farh, Kyle Kai-How and Yengo, Loic (2025). Estimation and mapping of the missing heritability of human phenotypes. Nature, 649 (8099), 1219-1227. doi: 10.1038/s41586-025-09720-6

Estimation and mapping of the missing heritability of human phenotypes

Current funding

  • 2026 - 2028
    The Claustrum as a Vulnerability Node: Linking Psychiatric Disease Risk to Circuit Architecture
    The Hebrew University of Jerusalem
    Open grant
  • 2026 - 2029
    Developing and Applying Novel Polygenic Score Approaches in ALS for Risk Prediction, Stratification, and Precision Medicine
    FightMND Discovery Grant
    Open grant
  • 2026 - 2028
    Identification of causal variants for complex traits (ARC Discovery Project administered by the University of Melbourne)
    University of Melbourne
    Open grant
  • 2026
    Integrating individual genotypes and phenotypes with single-cell transcriptomic data to enhance disease risk prediction
    UQ Foundation Research Excellence Awards
    Open grant
  • 2026 - 2030
    Integrating single-cell omics with genetics: Novel statistical methods to enhance biological understanding and risk prediction of common diseases
    NHMRC Investigator Grants
    Open grant
  • 2022 - 2026
    Genetic architecture and evolution of complex traits across populations
    ARC Discovery Projects
    Open grant

Past funding

  • 2020 - 2025
    Statistical methods and tools to integrate genetic and non-genetic data for risk prediction of common diseases
    NHMRC Investigator Grants
    Open grant

Availability

Dr Jian Zeng is:
Available for supervision

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Supervision history

Current supervision

Completed supervision

Enquiries

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