Dr. Rui Zhou is a full professor in the Department of Preventive Veterinary Medicine, National Key Laboratory of Agricultural Microbiology, and the Cooperative Innovation Center of Sustainable Pig Production at Huazhong Agricultural University (HZAU). He currently functions as the director of International Research Center for Animal Diseases (Ministry of Science & Technology, MOST), and the director of the HZAU-HVSEN Research Institute. He received his DVM degree from the University of Munich in 2003, and B.S. degree in Veterinary Medicine and M.S. degree in Veterinary Pathology from HZAU in 1993 and 1996, respectively. He leads a research group focusing on the pathogenomics and control strategies of veterinary and zoonotic bacterial infectious diseases. The majority of recent work has been in Streptococcus suis, Livestock-associated methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus (LA-MRSA), pathogenic Escherichia coli, Actinobacillus pleuropneumoniae, and Glaesserella (Haemophilus) parasuis.

The research interests include:

• Microbial population genomics and epidemiology: (1) Genome structure, evolution and genetic basis of serotype and virulence diversity of important pathogenic bacteria; (2) Population and genome biology of food-borne zoonotic bacteria in the production and supply chain of pork.

• Growth, metabolism and virulence of pathogenic bacteria:  (1) The molecular mechanisms of environmental adaptation and pathogenesis of bacterial pathogens; (2) Mechanism of Streptococcal cell division; (3) Regulation on growth, metabolism and virulence. 

• Immune evasion: Identification of complement-binding proteins (CBPs) of pathogenic bacteria and understanding the mechanisms of CBPs-mediated complement evasion.

• Design and development of diagnosis, vaccines and antibacterial drugs.