Zhihua Jiang, professor and genome biologist with Washington State University’s Department of Animal Sciences, will conduct advanced research in Australia through a Fulbright U.S. Scholar Program award.
The U.S. Department of State and the Fulbright Foreign Scholarship Board announced Jiang’s award this week.
As a Fulbright Scholar, Jiang will research at the University of New England in Armidale, Australia, as part of a project mapping the complex links between genes and traits in animals. The team will create new tools and resources to advance how scientists identify and locate animal genes, understand what they do, and use them to benefit animals and society.
“I cannot thank the Fulbright Foreign Scholarship Board enough,” Jiang said. “This prestigious award truly strengthens my goals of being a globally engaged citizen. The new knowledge and innovative technology and resources gained during my stay in Australia will significantly advance my comparative genome biology program to the next level.”
A faculty member at WSU since 2002, Jiang is the Hatch Program Chair in Animal Biology and Biomedicine, conducting research and teaching in genome sciences and biotechnology.
He has received education and training in six countries, and supported scholars from eight nations at WSU while developing new techniques for discovery of genes that contribute to changes in inherited traits.
“We are now in the era of big-data science, so it is time to go back for more calculation,” Jiang said. “Scientists at the University of New England, Australia, are extremely skilled at developing new selection theories, novel methods, and innovative computational programs in genetic evaluation, genome selection and precision breeding. My research with this world-recognized team will help me build a more balanced program here at WSU.”
The Fulbright Program is the U.S. government’s flagship international educational exchange program and is supported by the people of the United States and partner countries around the world. This year marks the program’s 75th anniversary. Since 1946, Fulbright awards have provided more than 400,000 participants from more than 160 countries the opportunity to study, teach and conduct research, exchange ideas, and contribute to finding solutions to shared international concerns.
For more information about the Fulbright Program, visit eca.state.gov/fulbright.