Associate Professor, Laboratory of Biology of Applied Microalgae

Department of Aquaculture, Fisheries College, Ocean University of China

5 Yushan Road,         Phone: 86-532-82032938

Qingdao 266003,        Fax: 86-532-82032938

P. R. China             Email:zhubaohua@ouc.edu.cn

EDUCATION

BS, Biology, Inner Mongolia University, 1996

MS, Aquaculture, Ocean University of China, 2002

PhD, Marine Biology, Institute of Oceanology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 2005

RESEARCH

Research Interests:

My research focuseson physiology, biochemistry and molecular biology in  microalgae. Our aim is to produce highly valuable molecules or biofuels from microalgae in a large scale. This is critical tosustainability of aquaculture, environment protection and human health.

Specific Research Directions:

1. Collection, isolation, classification and preservation of microalgae

Nowadays, there are numerous commercial applications of microalgae. For example, (i) microalgae can be used to enhance the nutritional value of food and animal feed owing to their chemical composition, (ii) they play a crucial role in aquaculture and (iii) they can be incorporated into cosmetics. Identification of microalgae is a prerequisite for their further applications.

2. Breeding of excellent microalgal strains

Breeding of excellent microalgal strains is to produce highly valuable molecules, such as polyunsaturated fatty acids and pigments, which are added to infant formulas and nutritional supplements and are important as natural dyes.Finding sufficient supplies of clean energy for the future isone of society’s most daunting challenges. The use of microalgae to produce biofuels can be a suitable alternativebecause algae are the most efficient biological producerof oil on the planet and a versatile biomass source, due to the higher photosyntheticefficiency, higher biomass productivities, a faster growthrate, highest CO2fixation and O2 production and so on.

3. Exploitation and application of functional gene

Research in algal biology has entered the postgenomic era since thecompletion of several species genome project. However,the molecular tools available for genetic manipulation of microalgae arestill sparse, impeding the functional analysis of microalgal genes in vivo, which will play a critical roles in exploitation and application of functional gene.

4. Commercial scale cultivation of microalgae

Commercial scale cultivation of microalgae is a prerequisite for their further applications.

Current Research Projects (recent 10 years):

1. Major State Basic Research Development Program of China (973 Project):principles of breeding and integrative evaluation system of excellent microalgal strains for producing biofuels ( Grant No.2011CB200901) , 2011-2015.

2. Energy Project from State Bureau of Oceanic Administration:key technology of biodiesel production in large scale frommarine microalgae ( Grant No. GHME2011SW03) , 2011-2013.

3. National Natural Science Foundation of China: Study on the molecular mechanism of neutral lipid and metabolism regulation of fatty acids in Nannochloropsis(Grant No. 31372518), 2014-2017.

PUBLICATION (recent 10 years)

1. Pan Kehou, Zhu Baohua.Storage technique of microalgae and its application. Journal of Ocean University of Qingdao, 2002, 32（3）：403-408

2. ZHU Baohua, WANG Guangce, HUANG Bo & C.K.TSENG. Effects of temperature, hypoxia, ammonia and nitrate on the bleaching among three coral species. Chinese Science Bulletin (In Chinese), 2004，49（17）：1743-1748

3. ZHU Baohua, WANG Guangce , HUANG Bo & C.K.TSENG. Effects of temperature, hypoxia, ammonia and nitrate on the bleaching among three coral species. Chinese Science Bulletin，2004, 49(18): 1923-1928.

4. Bao Hua Zhu, Guang Ce Wangand C.K.TSENG.Studies on the Interaction between the Phycobilisome from Porphyridium cruentum and the Thylakoid Membranes from Gymnodinium sp or Spinach. Russian Journal of Plant Physiology，2005，52（3）：288-293

5. Bao H. ZHU, Ke H. PAN and Guang C.WANG. Phylogeny of two Symbiodinium sp. from aneomones in Xisha Archipelago.Cah.Biol.Mar .(2007) 48:277-285.

6. B.H. Zhu, G.C. Wang, K.H. Pan. Changes of Cellular Superficial Configuration of Symbiotic algae during cultivation from Two Anemones in South China Sea. Journal of Ocean University of China, 2008, 1:89-92 .

7. Juan Shi, Kehou Pan, Jianzhong Yu, Baohua Zhu et al. ANALYSIS OF EXPRESSED SEQUENCE TAGS FROM THE MARINE MICROALGA NANNOCHLOROPSIS OCULATA (EUSTIGMATOPHYCEAE). J. Phycol. 2008,44(1):99-102

8. Bao H. ZHU, Nai H.YE , Ke H.PAN and Li M. LIN. Effects of cryoprotectants and salinities on viability and fatty acid profile of two haptophytes during preservation at low temperature. Cah. Biol. Mar. 2009, 50:19-26

9. Bao Hua Zhu, KeHou Pan & GuangCe Wang.Effects of host starvation on the symbiotic dinoflagellates from the sea anemone Stichodactyla mertensii. Marine Ecology, doi:10.1111/j.1439-0485.2010.00405.x.

10. PAN Kehou, MA Xiaolei, Yu Jianzhong, ZHU Baohua, Yang Guanpin. Cloning and Phylogenetic analysis of a fatty acid elongase gene from Nannochloropsis oculata CS179. J. Ocean Univ. China, 2009, 8 (4): 392-398.  

11. MA Xiaolei, Yu Jianzhong, ZHU Baohua, Pan Kehou, PanJin, Yang Guanpin. Cloning and characterization of a delta-6 desaturase encoding gene of Nannochloropsis oculata CS179. Chinese Journal of Oceanology and Limnology, 2011,29（2）：290-296.

12. Li Si, Pan Kehou, Zhu Baohua, Ma Xiaolei, Liang Xin, Yang Guanpin. Molecular identification of a species in genus Nannochloropsis. Journal of Ocean University of China, 2011, 10(4):391-396.

13. MA Xiaolei, Zhang Lin, ZHU Baohua, PAN Kehou, Li Si, and YANG Guanpin. Low temperature affected LC-PUFA conversion and associated Gene Transcript level in Nannochloropsis oculata CS179. Journal of Ocean University of China, 2011, 10(3):270-274.

14. Kehou Pan, Junjie Qin, Si Li, Wenkui Dai, Baohua Zhu, Yuanchun Jin, Wengong Yu, Guan pin Yang, Dongfang Li.Nuclear monoploidy and asexual propogation ofNannochloropsis oceanica SUDA & MIYASHITA as revealed by its genome sequence. J. Phycol. 10.1111/j.1529-8817.2011.01057.x.

15. ZHANG Lin, MA Xiaolei, YANG Guanpin, ZHU Baohua, HAN Jichang, YU Wengong and PAN Kehou. Isolation and characterization of long-chain acyl-coenzyme A synthetase encoding gene from marine microalga Nannochloropsis oculata. J Appl Phycol, 2012, 24:873-880.