NEWS
NORMAN, OKLA. – Jizhong Zhou, Ph.D., George Lynn Cross Research Professor and Presidential Professor in the School of Biological Sciences at the University of Oklahoma, has been elected to Academia Europaea, or The Academy of Europe, as one of the 365 eminent scholars elected in 2024. This honor is another on a long list of accolades for Zhou, one of OU’s most prominent scientists, demonstrating his international reputation.
“Dr. Zhou’s election to Academia Europaea is further evidence of his research impact,” said OU Vice President for Research and Partnerships Tomás Díaz de la Rubia, Ph.D. “Again and again, Dr. Zhou proves that his work is an exemplar of the groundbreaking research happening at the University of Oklahoma.”
Zhou’s extensive body of research includes work in microbiology, environmental sciences and theoretical ecology. He has pioneered advances in experimental and computational metagenomic technologies aimed at addressing ecological and environmental questions. His work in the elucidation and modeling of microbial feedback mechanisms in response to climate change is groundbreaking. He is recognized as one of the leading scientists in the field of ecology and evolution. He ranks among the top 0.1% of the world’s most highly cited researchers, and is the only microbiologist among the 2021 Reuters List of World’s Top 1000 Climate Scientists.
Since joining OU in 2005, Zhou has won numerous awards and accolades. He was elected to the American Academy of Arts and Science in 2023 and has won: the International Society for Microbial Ecology and International Water Association’s 2022 grand prize BioCluster Award for internationally recognized water research, the Soil Science Society of America’s 2022 Soil Science Research Award, the 2019 American Society of Microbiology Award for Environmental Research, the U.S. Department of Energy’s Ernest Orlando Lawrence Award in 2014 and R&D 100 Award as one of 100 most innovative scientific and technological breakthroughs in 2009. He was awarded the Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers in 2001.
In addition to his research, Zhou serves as co-editor-in-chief of mLife and associate editor for Microbiome and Environmental Microbiome, formal senior editors for ISME J and mBio, and is a regular participant in many committees in the field. He is an adjunct senior scientist at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory’s Climate and Ecosystem Sciences Division of Earth and Environmental Sciences.
Zhou earned his bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Hunan Agricultural University in Changsha, China, and a Ph.D. in Molecular Biology from Washington State University.
About Academia Europaea
The Academia Europaea was founded in 1988 through the joint efforts of the UK's Royal Society and other National Academies in Europe. It aims to advance scholarship excellence in the humanities; law; the economic, social and political sciences; mathematics; medicine and all branches of natural and technological sciences. Distinguishing itself, the Academia Europaea is the only Academy with individual membership from the Council of Europe states and other countries worldwide, and is one of the most influential scientific organizations in the world. Membership of Academia Europaea is awarded following a rigorous peer review process and conferred to individuals who have demonstrated sustained academic excellence. Members include more than 5,500 eminent international scholars.
About the University of Oklahoma
Founded in 1890, the University of Oklahoma is a public research university located in Norman, Oklahoma. As the state’s flagship university, OU serves the educational, cultural, economic and health care needs of the state, region and nation. OU was named the state’s highest-ranking university in U.S. News & World Report’s most recent Best Colleges list. For more information about the university, visit ou.edu.
Doris Benbrook, Ph.D., a Presbyterian Health Foundation Presidential Professor at the University of Oklahoma College of Medicine, has been named Associate Director for Translational Research at OU Health Stephenson Cancer Center, the only National Cancer Institute-Designated Cancer Center in Oklahoma.
The Harold Hamm Diabetes Center at the University of Oklahoma Health Sciences will gain a new deputy director, Matthew Potthoff, Ph.D., effective January 1. Potthoff will also hold the title of Harold Hamm Endowed Chair in Clinical Diabetes Research and professor of biochemistry and physiology, with a secondary appointment in the division of neurology in the OU School of Medicine.
James George, M.D., and Jennifer Holter-Chakrabarty, M.D., were recognized by the American Society of Hematology (ASH) during its annual meeting Dec. 7-10.
