Zhigang Yu, Ph.D.

Tenure-track Associate Professor

School of Environment

Nanjing University

Email: zhigang.yu@nju.edu.cn

Education and Professional Experience

Research Interests

1.    Environmental risks of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) driven by antibiotics

2.    AMR evolution in pathogens

3.    Disinfection in drinking water systems

4.    Drug-gut health

5.    Built Environment and human exposure

Academic Service

l  Associate Editor for Biocontaminant

l  The ISME Member and the member of the ISME Early Career Scientist Committee

l  Guest Editor for Microorganisms and Frontier in Microbiology

l  Reviewer for The ISME Journal, ISME Communication, Environmental Science & Technology, Water Research, Environment International, and other 15+ journals.

Research Grants

1. Australian Research Council (ARC) Linkage Program, Combating pathogens from biofilms in premise plumbing systems, 2025-2027, CI

2. UQ Research Donation Generic, Transmission of bacterial antimicrobial resistance in complex microbial communities, 2025-2026, CI

3. Australian Research Council Discovery Early Career Researcher Award (DECRA)，Bacterial evolution of antimicrobial resistance in urban water systems, 2024-20226, CI

Selected Publications (within 5 years)

1. Yujie Li, Zhigang Yu*, Yuanyuan Kang, Shan Wu, Jan Engelstädter, Gilda Carvalho, Damien Batstone, and Jianhua Guo*. Chlorination Enhances Bacterial Invasion and Conjugative Transfer of Antibiotic Resistance Genes in Biofilms. Environmental Science & Technology 33, no. 60 (2026): 23148-23161.

2. Yujie Li, Zhigang Yu*, Gilda Carvalho, and Jianhua Guo. Optimising disinfection conditions to cover antimicrobial resistance: mechanistic insights, safe dosage threshold and genomic indicators. Current Opinion in Chemical Engineering 54 (2026):10129.

3. Zhigang Yu, Michael Gillings, Nicholas J. Ashbolt, and Jianhua Guo*. Antimicrobial resistance in complex microbiomes: ecological evolution and public health risks. Biocontaminant 1, no. 1 (2025).

4. Zhigang Yu, Emily CA Goodall, Ian R. Henderson, and Jianhua Guo*. Plasmids can shift bacterial morphological response against antibiotic stress. Advanced Science 10, no. 2 (2023): 2203260.

5. Zhigang Yu, Ian R. Henderson, and Jianhua Guo*. Non-caloric artificial sweeteners modulate conjugative transfer of multi-drug resistance plasmid in the gut microbiota. Gut Microbes 15, no. 1 (2023): 2157698. (Highly cited paper)

6. Wang Yue, Zhigang Yu^#, Pengbo Ding, Ji Lu, Likai Mao, Lyman Ngiam, Zhiguo Yuan, Jan Engelstädter, Mark A. Schembri, and Jianhua Guo*. Antidepressants can induce mutation and enhance persistence toward multiple antibiotics. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 120, no. 5 (2023): e2208344120. (Highly cited paper)

7. Zhigang Yu, Yue Wang, Ian R. Henderson, and Jianhua Guo*. Artificial sweeteners stimulate horizontal transfer of extracellular antibiotic resistance genes through natural transformation. The ISME Journal 16, no. 2 (2022): 543-554. (Editors’ Choice)

8. Zhigang Yu, and Jianhua Guo*. Non-caloric artificial sweeteners exhibit antimicrobial activity against bacteria and promote bacterial evolution of antibiotic tolerance. Journal of Hazardous Materials 433 (2022): 128840.

9. Zhigang Yu, Xuemei Li, and Jianhua Guo*. Combat antimicrobial resistance emergence and biofilm formation through nanoscale zero-valent iron particles. Chemical Engineering Journal 444 (2022): 136569.

10. Yue Wang^#, Zhigang Yu^#, Pengbo Ding, Ji Lu, Uli Klümper, Aimee K. Murray, William H. Gaze, and Jianhua Guo*. Non-antibiotic pharmaceuticals promote conjugative plasmid transfer at a community-wide level. Microbiome 10, no. 1 (2022): 124.

11. Zhigang Yu, Yue Wang, Ji Lu, Philip L. Bond, and Jianhua Guo*. Nonnutritive sweeteners can promote the dissemination of antibiotic resistance through conjugative gene transfer. The ISME Journal 15, no. 7 (2021): 2117-2130. (Highly cited paper)

12. Zhigang Yu, Hesamoddin Rabiee, and Jianhua Guo*. Synergistic effect of sulfidated nano zerovalent iron and persulfate on inactivating antibiotic resistant bacteria and antibiotic resistance genes. Water Research 198 (2021): 117141.

^#: co-first authorship; *: corresponding author

Awards

l  2022 Australian Water Association Queensland Student Water Prize

l  2021 Chinese Government Award for Outstanding Self-financed Students Abroad

l  2021 The ISME Journal Best Paper Award Winner

l  2018 UQ PhD full Scholarship

Opportunities

Postdoctoral researchers, PhD/Master’s students, and undergraduates who are passionate on research in microbiology, bioinformatics, multi-omics, artificial intelligence, and materials science or related are warmly welcomed to join the team.