Dr. Zhao is an Incoming Assistant Professor of the Department of Chemical Engineering at the University of California, Davis (Starting on July 1st, 2025). Before moving to UC Davis, he is conducting his postdoctoral research in Prof. Nicole Steinmetz's lab at the University of California, San Diego, where he received the NIH K99/R00 Pathway to Independence Award and his research focuses on engineering plant viruses for cancer immunotherapy and drug-delivery purposes. He completed his Ph.D. research in Prof. Adam Zlontick's lab at Indiana University to investigate the regulatory functions of protein structural movement in Hepatitis B virus capsid assembly and to design novel protein structures to regulate the viral capsid assembly process.

Dr. Zhao values mentorship, communication, and commitment. He believes that the success of an institution, a department, or a laboratory can only be defined by the success of its trainees and students. His goal is to provide guidance and mentorship to younger generations of scientists and students in the classroom and the laboratory to help them excel at school and in their future. 

Selected Awards and Honors

• NIH/NCI K99/R00 Pathway to Independence Award, National Institute of Health, 2024
• Victor Liu, PhD., Molecular and Cellular Biochemistry Fellowship, Indiana University, 2020
• McCormick Science Grant, Indiana University, 2020 
• Frank W. Putnam Fellowship, Indiana University, 2019
• Milton Taylor Fellowship in Virology, Indiana University, 2018