Welcome to our new Nematologist, Dr. Lei Zhang

Please join us in welcoming Dr. Lei Zhang as our new Nematologist at Purdue University. Dr. Zhang is an Assistant Professor of Nematology at Purdue University, with a joint appointment between Department of Botany & Plant Pathology and Department of Entomology. Dr. Zhang received his PhD in Molecular Plant Sciences at Washington State University (WSU) and then conducted postdoctoral research on plant-parasitic nematodes at North Carolina State University and WSU. Dr. Zhang’s research program at Purdue will focus on studying plant-parasitic nematodes causing serious crop yield losses in Indiana, including soybean cyst nematode and root-knot nematodes. Dr. Zhang’s interest includes applied research on nematode diagnostics and management, and also basic research on molecular plant-nematode interactions. The overarching goal of research is to develop effective and sustainable tactics for nematode control in agriculture.