Editor-in-Chief

 

Prof. Zixin Deng received his Bachelor's degree from Huazhong Agricultural University and obtained his PhD from the University of East Anglia, UK. He joined Shanghai Jiao Tong University (SJTU) in 2000, where he currently serves as a Chair Professor at SJTU and Director of the State Key Laboratory of Microbial Metabolism. Renowned for pioneering discoveries in DNA sulfur modification, molecular microbiology, and natural product biosynthesis, he was elected to the Chinese Academy of Sciences in 2005. He has received numerous prestigious awards, including the Second Prize of the National Natural Science Award and the C. C. Tan Life Science Achievement Award, and he also holds the position of Chair of the Global Industrial Microbiology Society (GIM) International Committee. In December 2025, he was appointed as the founding Editor-in-Chief of Vita Microbiology.

 

 

Prof. Tiangang Liu received his Bachelor's degree from Shandong University and obtained his PhD from Shanghai Jiao Tong University (SJTU). Following postdoctoral research at Stanford University, he joined Wuhan University in 2010. In 2024, he moved to SJTU as a Distinguished Professor focusing on metabolic engineering and synthetic biology, where he currently serves as Deputy Director of the State Key Laboratory of Microbial Metabolism. He has received numerous awards, including the First Prize of the National Science and Technology Progress Award of Hubei Province and the Young and Middle-Aged Scientific and Technological Innovation Leading Talent of the Ministry of Science and Technology. In December 2025, he was appointed as the founding Executive Editor-in-Chief of Vita Microbiology.

 

Deputy Editor

 

Prof. Yan Zhang received his Bachelor's degree from Nanjing University and obtained his PhD from the University of Pennsylvania. Following postdoctoral research at the University of Pennsylvania and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and subsequent senior scientist experience at R&D Systems Inc., he joined Tianjin University in 2014. In 2024, he moved to Shanghai Jiao Tong University as a Distinguished Professor in microbial metabolism and currently serves as Dean of the School of Life Sciences and Biotechnology. He was awarded the First-class Natural Science Award in the Higher Education Outstanding Scientific Research Output Awards (Science and Technology) from the Ministry of Education and was selected as a New Cornerstone Investigator. In December 2025, he was appointed as a founding Deputy Editor of Vita Microbiology.

 

 

Prof. Chen Yang received her Bachelor's and Master's degrees from Zhejiang University and obtained her PhD from Kyushu Institute of Technology, Japan. Following postdoctoral research at Keio University in Japan and the Sanford-Burnham Institute for Medical Research in the United States, she joined the Chinese Academy of Sciences in 2008. In 2024, she moved to Shanghai Jiao Tong University as a Distinguished Professor in synthetic microbiology and currently serves as Deputy Director of the State Key Laboratory of Microbial Metabolism. She was awarded the First Prize of the Science and Technology Progress Award of Shanghai Municipality and the March 8th Red Banner Pacesetter of the Shanghai Science and Technology System. In December 2025, she was appointed as a founding Deputy Editor of Vita Microbiology.

 

 

Prof. Hongzhi Tang received his Bachelor's degree from Shandong Agricultural University and obtained his PhD from Shandong University. Following his graduation in 2008, he joined Shanghai Jiao Tong University, where he currently serves as Deputy Dean of the School of Life Sciences and Biotechnology and Deputy Director of the State Key Laboratory of Microbial Metabolism. His research focuses on environmental microbiology and synthetic biology, particularly the microbial degradation of persistent organic pollutants. He was awarded the First-class Natural Science Award and the Second-class Technological Invention Award in the Higher Education Outstanding Scientific Research Output Awards (Science and Technology) from the Ministry of Education. In December 2025, he was appointed as a founding Deputy Editor of Vita Microbiology.

 

 

Prof. Weifeng Shi received his Bachelor's degree from Yantai University and obtained his PhD from University College Dublin. Following his graduation in 2008, he joined Shandong First Medical University. He currently serves as a Distinguished Professor in pathogenic microbiology at Shanghai Jiao Tong University and as Deputy Director of the Shanghai Institute of Virology. His research focuses on the origin, evolution, and genomic surveillance of viruses, as well as the prevention and control of viral infectious diseases. He was awarded the Second Prize of the Natural Science Award of Shandong Province and the VCANBIO Award for Innovations and Breakthroughs in Life Sciences and Medicine. In December 2025, he was appointed as a founding Deputy Editor of Vita Microbiology.

 

Senior Scientific Editors

Dr. Qing Yu

Education: PhD, Microbiology, State Key Laboratory of Microbial Metabolism, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, China

Contact: yuqing@sjtu.edu.cn