Professor Liping Zhao joined Rutgers University and the department of Biochemistry and Microbiology in 2017. Prior to Rutgers he was professor of microbiology at Shanghai Jiao Tong University (SJTU) in the School of Life Sciences and Biotechnology since 2001. Prof Zhao is internationally recognized as one of the leading researchers in microbial ecology, in particular the study of the gut microbiome and its effects on host health. The gut is the most densely colonized microbial community in the human body and is also one of the most diverse. Prof. Zhao’s work focuses on elucidating the interactions between nutrition and gut microbiota in onset and progression of chronic diseases such as obesity and diabetes. The worldwide epidemic of obesity and related metabolic diseases is spreading rapidly and has become a serious problem. Prof. Zhao continues to make significant advances to our knowledge about how specific microbes and functional expression patterns are correlated to diet and to lifestyle and is an internationally recognized leader in this research with an impressive record of scholarship, teaching, and service. He is an internationally recognized leader and continues to be an important and influential builder of the interface between microbiology, food, nutrition and health.