2008年毕业于中国农业大学农学与生物技术学院，获学士学位；2008-2014年就读于中国农业大学生物学院，获理学博士学位；2014-2021年在英国John Innes Center从事博士后研究。2021年9月入职中科院遗传与发育生物学研究所分子农业生物学研究中心。
主要以小麦为研究材料，解析植物的温度适应性机制，重点研究开花、株型和免疫等重要生物性状的主要温度调控途径，致力于解析高产、耐逆和免疫等复杂性状间协同调控的分子机制，将通过分子遗传学、细胞生物学以及数学建模等多种技术手段，探究植物应答环境温度方面的重要基础科学问题，以及通过分子设计育种培育高产、耐逆、抗病协同改良的小麦新品种。
发表论文
1. Miaomiao Li#, Lei Dong#, Keyu Zhu#, Qiuhong Wu, Yongxing Chen, Ping Lu, Guanghao Guo, Huaizhi Zhang, Panpan Zhang, Beibei Li, Wenling Li, Yijun Yang, Yikun Hou, Xuejia Cui, Hongjie Li, Lingli Dong*, Yusheng Zhao*, Zhiyong Liu*. Provoking a silent R gene in wheat genome confers resistance to powdery mildew. Plant Biotechnology Journal. 2022, 20(11):2039-2041.
2. Rea L. Antoniou-Kourounioti#, Anis Meschichi#, Svenja Reeck#, Scott Berry, Govind Menon, Yusheng Zhao, John A. Fozard, TerriL. Holmes, Huamei Wang, Matthew Hartley, Caroline Dean*, Stefanie Rosa*, Martin Howard*. Integrating analog and digital modes of gene expression at Arabidopsis FLC. BioRxiv. 2022, https://doi.org/10.1101/2022.07.04.498694.
3. Yusheng Zhao#; Pan Zhu#; Jo Hepworth; Rebecca Bloomer; Rea Laila Antoniou-Kourounioti; Jade Doughty; Amelie Heckmann; Congyao Xu; Hongchun Yang; Caroline Dean*; Natural temperature fluctuations promote COOLAIR regulation of FLC, Genes & Development, 2021, 35: 888-898.
4. Rea Antoniou-Kourounioti#; Yusheng Zhao#; Caroline Dean*; Martin Howard*; Feeling every bit of winter – distributed temperature sensitivity in vernalization, Frontier in Plant Science, 2021, 16(40): 628726-628732.
5. Yusheng Zhao#; Rea L. Antoniou-Kourounioti#; Grant Calder; Caroline Dean*; Martin Howard*; Temperature-dependent growth contributes to long-term cold sensing, Nature, 2020, 583: 825-829.
6. Chunlei Wang; Xiaomei Dong; Dan Jin; Yusheng Zhao; Shaojun Xie; Xiaojie Li; Xinjian He; Zhaobo Lang; Jinsheng Lai; Jian-Kang Zhu; Zhizhong Gong*; Methyl-CpG-Binding domain protein MBD7 is required for active DNA demethylation in Arabidopsis, Plant physiology, 2015, 167(3): 905-914.
7. Yusheng Zhao; Shaojun Xie; Xiaojie Li; Chunlei Wang; Zhongzhou Chen; Jinsheng Lai; Zhizhong Gong*; REPRESSOR OF SILENCING5 encodes a member of the small heat shock protein family and is required for DNA demethylation in Arabidopsis, Plant Cell, 2014, 26(6): 2660-2675.
8. Jing Li; Susheng Song; Yusheng Zhao; Weiwei Guo; Guanghui Guo; Huiru Peng; Zhongfu Ni; Qixin Sun; Yingyin Yao*; Wheat 14-3-3 protein conferring growth retardation in Arabidopsis, Journal of Integrative Agriculture, 2013, 12(2): 209-217.
9. Xiaojie Li; Weiqiang Qian; Yusheng Zhao; Chunlei Wang; Jie Shen; Jian-Kang Zhu*; Zhizhong Gong*; Antisilencing role of the RNA-directed DNA methylation pathway and a histone acetyltransferase in Arabidopsis, PNAS, 2012 , 109(28): 11425-11430.
