Xiao-Yu Zhu

Xiaoyu conducts bioinformatics analyses on samples from a wide-range of organisms and environments to investigate who produces and cycles DMSP, other organosulfur compounds and climate-active gases. He primarily uses metagenomics and metatranscriptomics data informed by functional analyses of key enzymes, with comprehensive process measurements to determine the diversity, abundance, activity and global distribution of microbes responsible for this metabolism. This work enables prediction of who drives organosulfur cycling, how and its significance in diverse settings. His key focus is on the production and cycling of DMSP in oxic-anoxic saltmarsh sediments and in coastal seawater from the Western Channel Observatory.