Xinru Zhang, Lecturer, obtained a Ph.D. in Environmental Science and Engineering from Zhejiang University in June 2024. Research primarily focuses on the transport, transformation, and toxicological mechanisms of typical pollutants in agricultural plants. Research findings have been published in leading environmental journals including Environmental Science & Technology, Environmental Pollution, and Science of the Total Environment. Filed and was granted 3 patents. As a key member, participated in 3 major research projects, including a National Natural Science Foundation of China (NSFC) Key Project and an international collaborative project. 

Education

2019.9 -- 2024.6
Zhejiang University             Environmental Science and Engineering       graduate degree      Doctor of Engineering  （Research supervisor: Academician Lizhong Zhu ） 

2015.9 -- 2019.6
Sichuan Agricultural University       Environmental Science and Engineering       Undergraduate         Bachelor of Science

Research

Research Focus and Key Achievements
Integrated application of toxicology experiments, multi-omics techniques, and computational simulations to investigate the molecular mechanisms by which typical farmland pollutants interact with proteins and induce toxic effects in crops. Conducted systematic research on toxicity mechanisms of organic pollutants and heavy metals affecting rice growth:
(1) Identified disruptions in rice carbon fixation pathways caused by typical Yangtze River Delta farmland pollutants (PCBs, PAHs, pesticides, cadmium, etc.) using integrated transcriptomics, proteomics, and metabolomics;
(2) Revealed structural mechanisms of pollutant-protein interactions affecting carbon fixation through quantum chemical calculations and molecular dynamics (MD) simulations validated by in vitroassays;
(3) Quantified impacts of typical pollutants on soil-rice system carbon sequestration across the entire rice growth cycle.      

Representative Publications

(1) Zhang Xinru; Liu Na; Lu Huijie; Zhu Lizhong*; Molecular mechanism of organic pollutant- induced reduction of carbon fixation and biomass yield in oryza sativa L., Environmental Science & Technology, 2022, 56(7): 4162-4172.

(2) Zhang Xinru; Chen Jie; Wang Wei; Zhu Lizhong*; Photosynthetic mechanisms of carbon fixation reduction in rice by cadmium and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, Environmental Pollution, 2024, 344.

(3) Chen Bangyu; Shen Hui; Jin Yifan; Wu Qiang; Liu Jiangmin; Wang Xueyu; Zhang Xinru*; Yu Haiying ; Formation mechanisms of chlorinated disinfection byproducts chlorinated benzoquinones from free aromatic amino acids: In vitro and in silico study, Science of The Total Environment, 2025, 966: 17868.

(4) Liu Na; Lin Fangjing; Chen Jie; Shao Zexi; Zhang Xinru; Zhu Lizhong*; Multistage defense system activated by tetrachlorobiphenyl and its hydroxylated and methoxylated derivatives in oryza sativa, Environmental Science & Technology, 2021, 55(8): 4889-4898.

(5) Zhang Xinru; Chen Jie; Wang Wei; Zhu Lizhong*; Insights into molecular mechanism underlying carbon fixation inhibition of rice induced by Cadmium, Frontiers of Environmental Science & Engineering.

Research Projects Led/Participated In

(1)"Synergistic Technology Principles for Carbon Sequestration/Reduction and Green Remediation in Agricultural Soil Ecosystems", National Natural Science Foundation of China (NSFC) Key Project 
Oct 2024 – Dec 2029 | Active | Participant

(2)Zhang Xinru’s Research Startup Funding, Zhejiang Normal University

Sept 2024 – Sept 2028 | Active | Principal Investigator (PI)

(3)Young Doctoral Scholar Cultivation Project, Zhejiang Normal University
Sept 2024 – Sept 2026 | Active | Principal Investigator (PI)

(4)"Impact and Molecular Mechanisms of Typical Soil Organic Pollutants on Crop Metabolism", National Natural Science Foundation of China (NSFC) Key Project
Jan 2019 – Dec 2023 | Completed | Participant

(5)"Bioavailability and Regulatory Mechanisms of Typical Soil Organic Pollutants", NSFC International Cooperation and Exchange Project
Jan 2016 – Dec 2020 | Completed | Participant