Zhixuan Zhang

Zhixuan Zhang is a PhD candidate in the Metabolic Biology Graduate Program, a UCSF-UCB partnership co-directed by Dr. Vaisse. Zhixuan’s studies center on deciphering the expression and regulation of genes involved in the onset and progression of obesity, focusing specifically on the hypothalamus, a region of the brain that controls energy homeostasis.

She has developed state-of-the-art approaches to discover the molecular and cellular basis of body-weight regulation by specific neuronal populations. These studies aim to translate into new therapeutic strategies, opening the door to precision-medicine approaches in the treatment of metabolic diseases.

Originally from Shanghai, China, Zhixuan earned her undergraduate degree in cellular and molecular biology from UCLA and a master’s degree in metabolic biology from UC Berkeley.