Curriculum Vitae¡ªZheng Wang, Ph.D.

 

Postdoctoral Associate

The Townsend Lab

Department of Ecology & Evolutionary Biology

Yale University

165 Prospect Street, New Haven, CT 06520

wang.zheng@yale.edu

Research interests

Molecular systematics and evolution of wood-decay fungi, fungal endophytes of plants, aquatic ascomycetes and their global biodiversity (Tree of Life projects); character evolution in ecology and morphology; evolution of fungal symbiosis with plants and history of morphological transformations; sexual development and meiosis evolution cross fungi kingdom using comparative genomic methods and transcription profiling; integrative approaches in species recognition; biogeography and ecology of fungi; metagenomics of foliar ascomycetes using genome sequencing (pyrosequencing).

 

Education and Postdoctoral Training:

INSTITUTION (Lab PI)                                                                        DEGREE                                YEAR(s)                 FIELD OF STUDY                                 

Jiangxi University, Jiangxi, China                                    B.S.                  1987-1991         Microbiology

Institute of Microbiology (W.Y. Zhuang), Beijing, CAS    M.S.                 1994-1997         Fungal Systematics.

Clark University (David Hibbett), Worcester, MA           Ph.D.               2000-2006         Molecular Phylogeny

University of Iowa (John Logsdon), Iowa City, IA           Postdoc                        2006-2007         Comparative Genomics

Yale University (Jeffrey Townsend), New Haven, CT     Postdoc                        2007-                Molecular Ecology & Evolution

 

Professional Experience/Academic Appointments:

1988-1989         Assistantship: Microbiology, instructor Dr. Xiaochun Wang. Jiangxi University, China.

1988-1989         Assistantship: Immunology, instructor Dr. Fanhua Zeng. Jiangxi University, China.

1989 summer    Assistantship: Brewery Engineering, instructor Bifeng Zhu. Jiangxi University, China.

1997-1998         Research Assistant, Institute of Microbiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing

1998 summer    Visiting Fellow, Harvard University Herbaria, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA

1998-2000         Assistant Research Professor, Institute of Microbiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing

2000-2002         Teaching Assistant, Department of Biology, Clark University, Worcester, MA

2003-2005         Research Assistant, Department of Biology, Clark University, Worcester, MA

2005-2006         Teaching Assistant, Department of Biology, Clark University, Worcester, MA

2003-2006         Assistantship: Summer Workshop in Fungal Biology: Outreach programs for high school students and biology teachers. Course instructor is Dr. David S. Hibbett. Department of Biology, Clark University.

2006-2007         Postdoctoral Research Scholar, University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA

2007-present     Postdoctoral Research Scholar, Yale University, New Haven, CT

 

 

Grants, Honors, fellowships and Awards:

1996-1997                  Excellent Graduate Student, Director¡¯s Award, Chinese Academy of Science.

1996-1998                  Diao Award, Chinese Academy of Science.

1996-1999                  Director¡¯s Foundation of the Institute of Microbiology. Taxonomic study of the family Sarcoscyphaceae in China (co-PI; PI: W. Y. Zhuang), RMB ¥18,000.

1998                                Visiting Fellowship, NSF via Harvard University Herbaria, Harvard University.

1998-2000       Director¡¯s Foundation Project, Chinese Academy of Sciences. Investigation new concepts and methods in molecular systematics of fungi (PI), RMB ¥50,000.

2001-2002       National Geographic Society (NGS). Mycological expeditions to the Bailong River, Gansu Province, China (PI). $17,100.

2004                Outstanding Graduate Research presentation, Clark University.

2004                Traveling Award, Mycological Society of America (MSA).

2006                Roy J. Carver Trust Grant (PI: John Logsdon). Fungal Meiosis Gene Inventory. $347,340.

2007                ¡°Anonymous¡± Postdoctoral Fellowship, Yale University.

 

Professional Societies:

Mycological Society of China (MSC): 1994¡ª2000

Mycological Society of America (MSA): 2001¡ªpresent

Botanical Society of America (BSA): 2003¡ªpresent

Society of Systematic Biologists (SSB): 2003¡ªpresent

The American Phytopathological Society (APS): 2007-present

The New York Academy of Sciences: 2008

American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS): 2007-present

 

Professional Services:

 

Editorial Board:

Associate editor ¨C MYCOSYSTEMA, 2008 - present

Associate editor ¨C MYCOLOGY, 2009

 

Journal Reviewer for:

Mycoscience; Mycologia; Mycotaxon; Evolutionary Bioinformatics; Fungi; Source Code for Biology and Medicine.

 

Community services: core contributions to higher basidiomycetes (mushroom forming fungi) and ascomycetes and branch coordination of the Leotiomycetes and Geoglossales in the Tree of Life project.

 

Grant Review Panel:

2006 --  Evaluation expertise from overseas Chinese Scientists for the National Sciences Foundation of China (NSFC) Key Program Proposal.

 

Publications:

 

34. Wang Z., Johnston P. R., Yang Z. L., Townsend J. P. (2009) Evolution of Reproductive Morphology in Leaf Endophytes. Public Library of Science ¨C One (in press).

33. Schoch C.L., Sung G-H., L¨®pez-Gir¨¢ldez F., Townsend J.P., Miadlikowska J., Hofstetter V., Robbertse B., Matheny P.B., Kauff F., Wang Z., Gueidan C., Andrie R.M., Trippe K., Ciufetti L.M., Wynns A., Fraker E., Hodkinson B.P., Bonito G., Yahr R., Groenewald J.Z., Arzanlou M., Hoog G.S., Crous P.W., Hewitt D., Pfister D.H., Peterson K., Gryzenhout M., Wingfield M.J., Aptroot A., Suh S-O., Blackwell M., Hillis D.M., Griffith G.W., Castlebury L.A., Rossman A.Y., Lumbsch H.T., L¨¹cking R., B¨¹del B., Rauhut A., Diederich P., Ertz D., Geiser D.M., Hosaka K., Inderbitzin P., Kohlmeyer J., Kohlmeyer B.V., Mostert L., O¡¯Donnell K., Sipman H., Rogers J.D., Shoemaker R.A., Sugiyama J., Summerbell R.C., Untereiner W., Johnston P.R., Stenroos S., Zuccaro A., Dyer P., Crittenden P., Cole M.S., Hansen K., and Trappe J.M., Lutzoni, F. and Spatafora J.W.. (2009). The Ascomycota Tree of Life: A Phylum Wide Phylogeny Clarifies the Origin and Evolution of Fundamental Reproductive and Ecological Traits. Systematics Biology (in press).

32. Bunyard B.A., Wang Z., Malloch D., Clayden S. and Voitk A. (2008). New North American records for Ascocoryne turficola (Ascomycota: Helotiales). Fungi 1: 23-31 (not peer reviewed).

31. Cui B.K., Wang Z. and Dai Y.C. (2008). Albatrellus piceiphilus sp. nov. on the basis of morphological and molecular characters. Fungal Diversity 28: 37-44.

30. Hibbett D.S., Binder M, Bischoff J.F., Blackwell M., Cannon P.F., Eriksson O., Huhndorf S., James T., Kirk P.M., L¨¹cking R., Lumbsch T. Lutzoni F., Matheny P.B., McLaughlin D.J., Powell M.J., Redhead S., Schoch C.L., Spatafora J.W., Stalpers J.A., Vilgalys R., Aime M.C., Aptroot A., Bauer R., Begerow D., Benny G.L., Castleburry L.A., Crous P.W., Dai Y.-C., Gams W., Geiser D.M., Griffith G.W., Gueidan C., Hawksworth D.L., Hestmark G., Hosaka K., Humber R.A., Hyde K., Koljalg U., Kurtzman C.P., Larsson K.-H., Lichtwardt R., Longcore J., Miadlokowska J., Miller A., Moncalvo J.-M., Mozley-Standridge S., Oberwinkler F., Parmasto E., Reeb V., Rogers J.D., Roux C., Ryvarden L., Sampaio J.P., Sch¨¹ssler A., Sugiyama J., Thorn R.G., Tibell L., Untereiner W.A., Walker C., Wang Z., Weir A., Weiss M., White M., Winka K., Yao Y.-J. and Zhang N. (2007). A higher-level phylogenetic classification of the Fungi. Mycological Research 111: 509-547.

29. Dai Y.C., Yuan, H.S., Zhang X.Q. and Wang Z. (2007). Systematic revisit of Sparsitubus (Basidiomycota, Aphyllophorales), an unusual cyphelloid polypore from China. Fungal Diversity 25: 37-47.

28. Matheny, P. B., Wang Z., Binder M., Curtis, J. M., Lim, Y. W., Nilsson, H. R., Hughes, K. W., Hofstetter, V., Ammirati, J. F., Schoch, C., Langer, E., Langer, G., McLaughlin, D. J., Wilson, A. W., Frøslev, T., Ge, Z. W., Kerrigan, R. W., Slot, J. C., Yang, Z. L., Baroni, T. J., Fischer, M., Hosaka, K., Matsuura, K., Seidl, M. T., Vauras, J., and Hibbett, D. S. (2007). Contributions of rpb2 and tef1 to the phylogeny of mushrooms and allies (Basidiomycota, Fungi). Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution 43: 430-451.

27. Z. Wang, P. R. Johnston, S. Takamasu, J. W. Spatafora & D. S. Hibbett (2006) Phylogenetic classification of the Leotiomycetes based on rDNA data. Mycologia 98: 1066-1076 (invited leading author).

26. James, T. Y., F. Kauff, C. Schoch, P. B. Matheny, V. Hofstetter, C. Cox, G. Celio, C. Gueidan, E. Fraker, J. Miadlikowska, H. T. Lumbsch, A. Rauhut, V. Reeb, A. E. Arnold, A. Amtoft, J. E. Stajich, K. Hosaka, G.-H. Sung, D. Johnson, B. O'Rourke, M. Crockett, M. Binder, J. M. Curtis, J. C. Slot, Z. Wang, A. W. Wilson, A. Sch¨¹ßler, J. E. Longcore, K. O'Donnell, S. Mozley-Standridge, D. Porter, P. M. Letcher, M. J. Powell, J. W. Taylor, M. M. White, G. W. Griffith, D. R. Davies, R. A. Humber, J. B. Morton, J. Sugiyama, A. Y. Rossman, J. D. Rogers, D. H. Pfister, D. Hewitt, K. Hansen, S. Hambleton, R. A. Shoemaker, J. Kohlmeyer, B. Volkmann-Kohlmeyer, R. A. Spotts, M. Serdani, P. W. Crous, K. W. Hughes, K. Matsuura, E. Langer, G. Langer, W. A. Untereiner, R. L¨¹cking, B. B¨¹del, D. M. Geiser, A. Aptroot, P. Diederich, I. Schmitt, M. Schultz, R. Yahr, D. Hibbett, F Lutzoni, D. McLaughlin, J. Spatafora, and R. Vilgalys. (2006). Reconstructing the early evolution of the fungi using a six gene phylogeny. Nature 443: 818-822.

25. M. J. B. Balco-dios, Z. Wang, M. Binder & D. S. Hibbett (2006) A new Sparassis from Spain described using morphological and molecular data. Mycological Research 110:1227-1231.

24. Z. Wang, M. Binder, C. Schoch, P. Johnston, J. W. Spatafora & D. S. Hibbett (2006) Evolution of helotialean fungi (Leotiomycetes, Pezizomycota): a nuclear rDNA phylogeny. Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution 41:295-312.

23. M. Binder, D.S. Hibbett, Z. Wang & W. Farnham (2006) Evolutionary relationships of Mycaureola dilseae (Agaricales), a Basidiomycete pathogen of a subtidal Rhodophyte. American Journal of Botany 93:547-556.

22. Y. C. Dai, Z. Wang, M. Binder & D. S. Hibbett (2006). Phylogeny and a new species of Sparassis (Polyporales, Basidiomycota): evidence from mitochondrial atp6, nuclear rDNA and rpb2 genes. Mycologia 98:584-592.

21. Z. Wang, M. Binder & D. S. Hibbett (2005) Life history and systematics of the aquatic discomycetes Mitrula (Helotiales, Ascomycota) based on cultural, morphological, and molecular studies. American Journal of Botany 92: 1565-1574.

20. Y.C. Dai & Z. Wang (2005) A new polypore on Ginkgo from China. Mycotaxon 92: 345-349.

19. Z. Wang, M. Binder, Y. C. Dai & D. S. Hibbett (2004) Phylogenetic relationships of Sparassis inferred from nuclear and mitochondrial ribosomal DNA and RNA polymerase sequences. Mycologia 96:1013-1027.

18. D. E. Desjardin, Z. Wang, M. Binder & D. S.  Hibbett (2004) A new Sparassis from Thailand. Mycologia 96:1008-1012.

17. W. Y. Zhuang, Z. H. Yu & Z. Wang (2004) Fungal flora of China (vol. 21): Hyaloscyphaceae, Sarcoscyphaceae and Sarcosomataceae. Zhuang W. Y. (ed.). Science Press, Beijing.

16. Y. C. Dai, Y. L. Wei & Z. Wang (2004) Wood-inhabiting fungi in southern China 2. polypores from Sichuan Province. Ann. Bot. Fennici 41: 319-329.

15. D. S. Hibbett, M. Binder, Z. Wang & Y. Goldman (2003) Another fossil agaric from Dominican amber. Mycologia 95: 685-687.

14. Z. Wang, M. Binder & D. S. Hibbett (2002) A new species of Cudonia based on morphological and molecular data. Mycologia 94: 641-650.

13. Z. Wang & Z.-h. Zhong (2001) Two species of Leucoscypha from southwestern China. Fungal Sciences 16 (3-4): 17-20.

12. Z. Wang & K.-q. Pei (2001) Notes on the discomycetes from Dongling Mountains, Beijing. Mycotaxon 79: 307-314.

11. Z. Wang & D. H. Pfister (2001) Wenyingia, A new genus in the Pezizales (Otideaceae). Mycotaxon 79: 397-399.

10. Z.-h. Zhong Z. Wang & D. H. Pfister (2001) Pezicula magnispora, a new species on a herbaceous plant. Mycotaxon 78:161-165.

9. Z. Wang & Y.-z. Wang (2000) Notes on coprophilous fungi from southwest China. Fungal Sciences 15: 125-134.

8. W-Y Zhuang & Z. Wang (1998) Some new species and records of discomycetes in China. VIII.  Mycotaxon 66: 429-438.

7. W-Y Zhuang & Z. Wang (1998). Discomycetes of tropical China. I. Collections from Hainan island. Mycotaxon 67: 21-31.

6. W-Y Zhuang & Z. Wang (1998) Sarcosomataceous discomycetes in China. Mycotaxon 67: 355-364.

5. Z. Wang (1997) Taxonomy of Cookeina in China. Mycotaxon 62: 289-298.

4. W-Y Zhuang & Z. Wang (1997) Some new species and new records of discomycetes in China VII. Mycotaxon 63: 307-321.

3. W-Y Zhuang & Z. Wang (1997) Two new species of Ciborinia (Leotiales, Sclerotiniaceae) from the Jinggang Mountains, Jiangxi, China. Mycosystema 16: 329-335.

2. W-Y Zhuang & Z. Wang (1997) Notes on sclerotiniaceous fungi on Castanea and Castanopsis in Asia. Mycotaxon 64: 449-454.

1. Z. Wang & W-Y Zhuang 1996. Taxonomic studies of the genus Sarcoscypha in China. Mycosystema 8-9: 39-52.

           

Translation editor of scientific reference:

Introductory Mycology (2001) Chinese Edition from Introductory Mycology by C.J. Alexopoulos, C.W. Mims and M. Blackwell (1995).

 

Internet article (peer reviewed):

Z. Wang. (2007). Leotiomycetes: The Tree of Life Web Project. http://www.tolweb.org/Leotiomycetes (invited by the MSA DeepHypha committee and Tree of Life Web Project editor).

 

Conference presentations:

9. Z. Wang, Savelkoul E. & Logsdon J.M. (2007). Using a meiotic gene inventory to study the evolution of sex in fungi. Annual Meeting of the Mycological Society of America in Baton Rough, LA.

8. Z. Wang, Binder M. & Hibbett D.S. (2005). Characterizing atp6 in multilocus phylogenetics of polyporoid homobasidiomycetes. Annual Meeting of the Mycological Society of America and Mycological Society of Japan in Hilo, HI.

7. M. Binder, Bodensteiner P., Wang Z. & Hibbett D.S. (2005). Phylogenetic relationships of cyphelloid and aquatic homobasidiomycetes. Annual Meeting of the Mycological Society of America and Mycological Society of Japan in Hilo, HI.

6. Z. Wang, Binder M., Hibbett D.S., Schoch C.L. & Spatafora J.W. (2005). Phylogenetic relationships of the Helotiales inferred from 3 rDNA regions. Annual Meeting of the Mycological Society of America and Mycological Society of Japan in Hilo, HI.

5. Matheny P.B., Hibbett D.S., Ammirati J.F., Aoki T., Baroni T.J., Binder M., Celio G., Crane P., de Nitis M., Dentinger B., Froslev T., Ge Z.W., Halling R., Hosaka K., Hughes K.W., Kerrigan R.W., Kropp B.R., Langer E., Matsuura K., McLaughlin D.J., Nilsson R.H., Nishida H., Padamsee M., Petersen R., Piepenbring M., Slot J., Vauras J., Vellinga E.C., Wang Z., Wilson A. & Yang Z.L. (2005). Progress towards assembling the Tree of Life for the Basidiomycota. Annual Meeting of the Mycological Society of America and Mycological Society of Japan in Hilo, HI.

4. Matheny P.B., Ammirati J.F., Aoki T., Baroni T.J., Binder M., Celio G., Crane P., de Nitis M., Dentinger B., Froslev T., Ge Z.W., Halling R., Hosaka K., Hughes K.W., Kerrigan R.W., Kropp B.R., Langer E., Matsuura K., McLaughlin D.J., Nilsson R.H., Nishida H., Padamsee M., Petersen R., Piepenbring M., Slot J., Vauras J., Vellinga E.C., Wang Z., Wilson A., Yang Z.L. & Hibbett D.S. (2004). Progress towards assembling the Tree of Life for the Basidiomycota. Annual Meeting of the Mycological Society of America, Asheville, NC.

3. Z. Wang & Hibbett D. S. (2004). Life history and phylogeny of Mitrula species, aero-aquatic fungi in the Helotiales. Annual Meeting of the Mycological Society of America, Asheville, NC.

2. Z. Wang, Binder M. & Hibbett D.S. (2003). Sparsitubus, an unusual cyphelloid-like polypore from tropical China, is closely related to the Ganodermataceae. Annual Meeting of the Mycological Society of America, Asilomar, CA.

1. Z. Wang, Binder M., Lim Y.W. & Hibbett D.S. (2002). Phylogeny and biogeography of the cauliflower fungus Sparassis and other brown-rot basidiomycetes inferred from rDNA and RNA polymerase gene sequences. IMC7, Oslo, Norway.