Zhou, Hong

Short Biography

Dr. Z. Hong Zhou is a Professor in the Microbiology, Immunology, and Molecular Genetics department. He combines expertise in structural biology, microbiology, computational biology, and bioinformatics to address fundamental questions in biology. He is also founding director of the Electron Imaging Center for NanoMachines (EICN) at the California Nanosystems Institute (CNSI). Dr. Zhou was a Pew Scholar in the Biomedical Sciences, received numerous awards, including the Basil O’Connor Scholar Award, the Established Investigator Award of American Heart Association, the Burton award, and the KH Kuo Award of Distinguished Scientist.

Research Interests

The Zhou lab uses cryogenic electron microscopy (cryoEM) and cryogenic electron tomography (cryoET) to visualize biological complexes, which helps in understanding their function and organization. At UCLA, they develop these methods and apply them to studying dynamic processes such as viral and microbial pathogenesis.

Honors & Awards

2024 Elected Fellow, American Academy of Microbiology
1999 Pew Scholar, The Pew Charitable Trust

Representative Publications

Below is the list of the most recent publications. For the full list, please visit here.

  • Structure and Identification of the Native PLP Synthase Complex from \emphMethanosarcina\emph Acetivorans Lysate. Agnew, A.; Humm, E.; Zhou, K.; Gunsalus, R. P.; and Zhou, Z. H. mBio, 16(1): e03090-24. January 2025.
  • Native DGC Structure Rationalizes Muscular Dystrophy-Causing Mutations. Liu, S.; Su, T.; Xia, X.; and Zhou, Z. H. Nature, 637(8048): 1261–1271. January 2025.
  • Overcoming the Preferred-Orientation Problem in Cryo-EM with Self-Supervised Deep Learning. Liu, Y.; Fan, H.; Hu, J. J.; and Zhou, Z. H. Nature Methods, 22(1): 113–123. January 2025.
  • Curvature Generation and Engineering Principles from Shewanella Oneidensis Multi-Flagellin Flagellum. Lou, Q.; Fan, H.; Liu, Y.; Miller, J. F.; Huang, Y.; and Zhou, Z. H. February 2025.
  • Structural Basis of a Distinct α
    -Synuclein Strain That Promotes Tau Inclusion in Neurons. Sun, C.; Zhou, K.; DePaola, P.; Li, C.; Lee, V. M. Y.; Zhou, Z. H.; Peng, C.; and Jiang, L. Journal of Biological Chemistry, 301(4): 108351. April 2025.
  • Trypanosome Doublet Microtubule Structures Reveal Flagellum Assembly and Motility Mechanisms. Xia, X.; Shimogawa, M. M.; Wang, H.; Liu, S.; Wijono, A.; Langousis, G.; Kassem, A. M.; Wohlschlegel, J. A.; Hill, K. L.; and Zhou, Z. H. Science, 387(6739): eadr3314. March 2025.