Dr. Qiancheng Zhao has been named the newest McNair Scholar at Baylor College of Medicine. His research focuses on neuromodulation, the neural sensing and regulation of metabolism, which plays a significant role in physiological processes.
The McNair Scholars program, established by The Robert and Janice McNair Foundation and managed by the McNair Medical Institute, aims to identify and recruit leading scientists in the neurosciences for collaborative and transformational research.
“Being named a McNair Scholar represents the opportunity to integrate innovative concepts, knowledge, and technologies from neuroscience, metabolism, genetics, computational biology, and engineering into this important and interdisciplinary neuro-metabolic interface, pushing the boundaries forward,” said Zhao, assistant professor in the Margaret M. and Albert B. Alkek Department of Medicine.
Zhao’s research addresses obesity and diabetes by examining how sensory neurons contribute to neuromodulating metabolism. Understanding this process is essential for preventing and treating these conditions. However, it remains unclear how distinct metabolic cues are represented in the nervous system and how they achieve precise neural control of metabolism.
“My research aims to uncover the sensory mechanisms that control metabolic homeostasis to map the underlying neural pathways and to explore the role of neuromodulation in regulating metabolism and diabetes,” Zhao said. “A molecular and functional dissection of the metabolic organs-brain crosstalk will open up new vistas in neural control of metabolism and may bring novel concepts and therapeutic targets into the field of obesity and diabetes intervention and prevention.”
Zhao completed his undergraduate degree in pharmaceutical sciences at Shandong University and his Ph.D. in biological sciences at Tsinghua University in China. Before joining Baylor College of Medicine, he was a postdoctoral associate at Yale University where he explored interoception through the vagus nerve.
As a student, Zhao received numerous national awards and scholarships. He was also a Kavli Postdoctoral Fellow while at Yale University. His contributions include publications in top medical journals such as Nature, Neuron, and Nature Communications.
