Mr. Zhiwei Gao | Soil | Best Researcher Award
Mr. Zhiwei Gao, Inner Mongolia Agricultural University, China
Mr. Zhiwei Gao is a PhD candidate at the College of Grassland, Resources and Environment, Inner Mongolia Agricultural University, China. His research focuses on soil ecology, particularly the impacts of climate change on soil carbon and nitrogen cycling, soil microbial and nematode communities, and ecological restoration in degraded desert steppe ecosystems. He utilizes advanced tools such as stable isotope tracing, high-throughput sequencing, and bioinformatics. Zhiwei has published multiple peer-reviewed articles and actively contributes to academic conferences in the fields of ecology and environmental science.
Profile
Summary:
Mr. Zhiwei Gao is an emerging researcher with a strong academic foundation, a progressive research vision, and a publication record that supports his potential as a future leader in soil ecology and environmental restoration. His innovative use of ecological and molecular tools positions him at the forefront of climate-soil interaction research in grassland ecosystems.
🎓 Education
Zhiwei Gao holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Life Sciences from the College of Life Sciences, Tianjin Normal University, completed in 2017. He pursued a Master of Science in Ecology at the same institution from 2018 to 2021, under the supervision of Professors Zhang Guodong and Jia Meiqing. Currently, he is pursuing a PhD in Grassland Science at the College of Grassland, Resources and Environment, Inner Mongolia Agricultural University, beginning in September 2022, under the guidance of Professor Han Guodong.
💼Experience
During his master’s studies, Zhiwei focused on using high-throughput sequencing and bioinformatics to explore soil nematode communities as ecological indicators. His research included evaluating ecological reclamation in open-pit mined grasslands and assessing the effects of climate change and human disturbance on desert steppes in Inner Mongolia. In his PhD research, he is investigating the impact of climate change factors such as warming, drying, and nitrogen deposition using long-term field experiments and microcosmic facilities. He applies stable isotope tracing (13C and 15N), genomics, community ecology, and bioinformatics to analyze soil carbon and nitrogen transformation processes, the structure and function of the soil micro-food web, and gene-level mechanisms influencing soil nutrient dynamics.
🔬Research Focus
His core research interests lie in soil ecology, microbial and nematode community dynamics, ecological restoration of degraded lands, and biogeochemical cycling under climate change. He emphasizes integrating molecular biology with ecosystem-level analysis to understand the soil micro-food web and its role in carbon and nitrogen cycling, particularly in desert steppe ecosystems affected by grazing and mining.
🛠️Skills
Zhiwei is proficient in the use of R, SPSS, SigmaPlot, and Origin for the statistical analysis and visualization of high-throughput and metagenomic data. He is competent in reading and interpreting English-language scientific literature, having passed both the College English Test-4 and Test-6. He is experienced in writing and publishing SCI-indexed journal articles and can independently design, analyze, and interpret scientific experiments and data.
🏆Awards
Zhiwei Gao has been honored with four consecutive university-level scholarships. He was named an outstanding student cadre during the academic year 2019–2020 and was recognized as an outstanding Party member of the graduate CPC Party branch in 2020–2021. His academic and leadership roles reflect his dedication and contributions to the scientific and campus community.
📚 Publications
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Title: Wetland types shape microbial function related to soil phosphorus cycling based on metagenomics analysis
Authors: Jia Meiqing, Gao Zhiwei, Yidong Wang, et al.
Year: 2025
Journal: Journal of Environmental Sciences -
Title: Eight-year tillage in black soil, effects on soil aggregates, and carbon and nitrogen stock
Authors: Wang L, Qi S, Gao WF, Gao Zhiwei, et al.
Year: 2023
Journal: Scientific Reports -
Title: Exploring the effects of warming and nitrogen deposition on desert steppe based on soil nematodes
Authors: Gao Zhiwei, Li XD, Han Guodong, Zhang GG
Year: 2023
Journal: Land Degradation and Development -
Title: Soil bacterial community is more sensitive than fungal community to nitrogen supplementation and climate warming in Inner Mongolian desert steppe
Authors: Jia Meiqing, Gao Zhiwei, Han Guodong, et al.
Year: 2022
Journal: Journal of Soils and Sediments -
Title: Exploring the optimal grazing intensity in desert steppe based on soil nematode community and function
Authors: Gao Zhiwei, Zhang GG, Jia Meiqing, Li XD
Year: 2022
Journal: Land Degradation and Development -
Title: Soil nematode communities and functions: Ecological package restoration responses in damaged desert steppe open-pit mining ecosystems
Authors: Gao Zhiwei, Zhang GG, Jia Meiqing, Han Guodong
Year: 2022
Journal: Land Degradation and Development
Mr. Zhiwei Gao stands out as a promising young scientist whose research aligns well with the goals of the Best Researcher Award. His scientific rigor, publication excellence, and dedication to ecological problem-solving make him a commendable nominee. With continued development in global collaboration and interdisciplinary outreach, he is poised to make significant contributions to environmental science at both national and international levels.