I have a keen interest in the evolutionary relationships that underpin symbioses, particularly those involved in plant disease. There are countless examples of how diseases have impacted different crops throughout history, and this is an ongoing issue that deleteriously impacts food security. My research involves developing a better understanding of the epidemiology of plant diseases and pests, and delivering improved diagnostics and field management. Working with collaborators and international experts, my work involves research on a broad range of plants that are affected by bacteria, fungi, oomycetes, viruses, nematodes and arthropod pests. I have a strong interest in the biotic factors that govern soil health and the methods by which we can promote the development of beneficial microbial communities.
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.
Faculty of Health, Medicine and Behavioural Sciences
Affiliate of Clem Jones Centre for Ageing and Dementia Research
Clem Jones Centre for Ageing Dementia Research
Faculty of Health, Medicine and Behavioural Sciences
Affiliate of Centre for RNA in Neuroscience
Centre for RNA in Neuroscience
Faculty of Health, Medicine and Behavioural Sciences
Availability:
Available for supervision
Professor Steven Zuryn is a molecular geneticist within the Queensland Brain Institute, The University of Queensland. After training as a PhD in genetics, he undertook postdoctoral reseach at the Institut Génétique Biologie Moléculaire Cellulaire (IGBMC) in Strasbourg, France. He now leads an international and diverse team of postdoctoral, PhD, Honours, and undergraduate investigators studying epigenetics and mitochondrial biology. His laboratory’s work focuses on the role and impact of mitochondrial dysfunction in neurodegenerative diseases and is particularly fascinated with mutations that accumulate within the mitochondria’s own genome during ageing. His research has been published in the high profile journals Science, Nature Cell Biology, and Cell Metabolism and has appeared in multiple mainstream media outlets. For his research, he has received multiple international prizes and fellowships (including an ARC Future Fellowship) and is generously supported as a fellow of the Stafford Fox Research Foundation. Steven is passionate about communicating the critical importance of fundamental scientific research as a long-term human endeavour.
