Dr. Zhou Changqing | Animal health | Best Scholar Award

Associate researcher, Gansu Academy of Agricultural Sciences, China.

Dr. Changqing Zhou is an Associate Professor and Principal Investigator at the Institute of Forage‑Livestock and Green Agriculture, Gansu Academy of Agricultural Sciences, where he directs the Laboratory of Animal Genetics, Breeding and Reproduction. His work bridges livestock genomics and aquatic thermal physiology, linking the realities of global climate change to animal health, productivity, and welfare. Drawing on experience in veterinary medicine, zoology, and animal ecology, he integrates molecular tools, multi‑omics, and applied field studies to solve problems that matter to pastoral and aquaculture systems across China’s arid and highland regions.

Professional Profile

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🎓 Education

Dr. Zhou earned a B.S. in Veterinary Medicine (2007–2011) and an M.S. in Clinical Veterinary Medicine (2011–2014) from Gansu Agricultural University, establishing a strong applied animal health foundation. He advanced into discovery science with a Ph.D. in Zoology (2015–2020) at Lanzhou University, where he developed expertise in organismal response to environmental stress. He then completed a Postdoctoral Research appointment in Animal Ecology at Lanzhou University (2021–2023), deepening his systems‑level perspective on climate impacts across taxa. This multi‑tiered academic path—clinical to ecological—underpins his current translational research in livestock fecundity and aquatic thermo‑tolerance.

💼 Experience

Since 2023, Dr. Zhou has served as Director of the Laboratory of Animal Genetics, Breeding and Reproduction at the Gansu Academy of Agricultural Sciences’ Institute of Forage‑Livestock and Green Agriculture, leading genomic and physiological research programs with regional economic relevance. His background includes sustained research on heat stress in rainbow trout, integration of microbiome–metabolome datasets, and emerging work on prolific traits in Longdong Black goats. In addition to running funded PI projects, he supervises graduate students (Master’s supervisor, Lanzhou University), contributes to provincial expert panels, and provides peer review for international journals in fish physiology and marine biotechnology.

🔬 Research Interests

Dr. Zhou’s research centers on how global climate change alters animal health, productivity, and welfare, with two technical pillars: (1) genomic and regulatory mechanisms underlying high fecundity in livestock—currently focused on Longdong Black goats—and (2) heat stress physiology in aquatic species, especially rainbow trout, explored through integrated microbiome, metabolome, transcriptome, and noncoding RNA analyses. By linking molecular signatures to phenotypic resilience, he aims to inform selective breeding, early stress diagnostics, and adaptive management strategies for both pastoral and cold‑water aquaculture systems in warming environments.

🏅 Awards

In 2023, Dr. Zhou received First Rank in the Gansu Provincial Harvest Prize in Agriculture, Animal Husbandry and Fisheries, recognizing high‑impact contributions to regional production systems. He also earned distinction as an Outstanding Young Editorial Board Member for China Poultry and Livestock Breeding Industry, reflecting both scientific credibility and service to knowledge translation. His professional footprint spans membership in the Science Expert Database of Gansu Province, the Gansu Aquatic Products Society, and editorial roles with China Poultry and Livestock Breeding Industry and Cold and Arid Agricultural Sciences, underscoring multi‑sector trust in his expertise.

📚 Top Noted Publications

Zhou, C.; et al. Analysis of the Alterations in Symbiotic Microbiota and Their Correlation with Intestinal Metabolites in Rainbow Trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) Under Heat Stress Conditions. Animals 2025, 15(14), 2017. Read Article. Cited by: check Google Scholar for current counts.

Zhou, C.; et al. Comprehensive Analysis of Microbiome, Metabolome, and Transcriptome Revealed the Mechanisms of Intestinal Injury in Rainbow Trout under Heat Stress. International Journal of Molecular Sciences 2023, 24, 8569. Read Article (PMC). Cited by: track via Google Scholar / Scopus.

Zhou, C.; et al. Association of Gut Microbiota with Metabolism in Rainbow Trout under Acute Heat Stress. Frontiers in Microbiology 2022, 13, 846336. Read Article. Cited by: view “Cited by” tab in Crossref & Google Scholar.

Zhou, C.; et al. RNA‑Seq Analysis of Key Long Noncoding RNAs and mRNAs Related to the Regulation of Acute Heat Stress in Rainbow Trout. Animals 2022, 12, 325. Read Article. Cited by: see Google Scholar & Dimensions.

Zhou, C.; et al. The Effect of Acute Heat Stress on the Innate Immune Function of Rainbow Trout Based on the Transcriptome. Journal of Thermal Biology 2021, 96, 102834. PubMed Abstract. Cited by: follow citation metrics in Scopus / Web of Science.

Zhou, C.; et al. Physiological Response and miRNA–mRNA Interaction Analysis in Head Kidney of Rainbow Trout Exposed to Acute Heat Stress. Journal of Thermal Biology 2019, 83, 134‑141. PubMed Abstract. Cited by: check Google Scholar trends for foundational citations.

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