Prof. Xian Zhang (1988. 11-) obtained the PhD degree in microbiology at Central South University in Changsha, China. Since 2017, he has been employed by Central South University as an associate professor. He is experienced in the field of environmental microbiology and microbial ecology. Prof. Zhang has long been devoted to the omics-based study on mineral-bioleaching microorganisms, with a specific focus on their ecological roles and metabolic functions. As of now, he as the first author/corresponding author has over 10 SCI papers that have been published in various international authoritative journals, such as BMC Genomics, Applied and Environmental Microbiology, and Frontiers in Microbiology.