Yong Zhou's current research is focused on rice genomes, including genome assemblies, gene annotation, TE annotation, structural variation, and evolutionary processes.

• Twelve Platinum-Standard Reference Genomes Sequences (PSRefSeq) that complete the full range of genetic diversity of Asian rice, Yong Zhou, Dmytro Chebotarov, Dave Kudrna, Victor Llaca, Seunghee Lee, Shanmugam Rajasekar, Nahed Mohammed, Noor Al-Bader, Chandler Sobel-Sorenson, Praveena Parakkal, Lady Johanna Arbelaez, Natalia Franco, Nickolai Alexandrov, N. Ruaraidh Sackville Hamilton, Hei Leung, Ramil Mauleon, Mathias Lorieux, Andrea Zuccolo, Kenneth McNally, Jianwei Zhang, Rod A. Wing, bioRxiv, 2019, 12.29.888347.
• Plant evolution and environmental adaptation unveiled by long-read whole-genome sequencing of Spirodela, Dong An, Yong Zhou (#Co-first author), Changsheng Li, Qiao Xiao, Tao Wang, Yating Zhang, Yongrui Wu, Yubin Li, Daiyin Chao, Joachim Messing and Wenqin Wang, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 2019, 116(38), 18893-18899.
• Isoform sequencing provides insight into natural genetic diversity in maize[J]. Yong Zhou, Zhixuan Zhao, Zhiyong Zhang, Miaomiao Fu, Yongrui Wu and Wenqin Wang, Plant Biotechnology Journal, 2018. 
• Uncovering the dispersion history, adaptive evolution and selection of wheat in China, Yong Zhou, Zhongxu Chen, Mengping Cheng, Jian Chen, Tingting Zhu, Rui Wang, Yaxi Liu, Pengfei Qi, Guoyue Chen, Qiantao Jiang, Yuming Wei, Ming‐Cheng Luo, Eviatar Nevo, Robin G. Allaby, Dengcai Liu, Jirui Wang, Jan Dvorák and Youliang Zheng, Plant Biotechnology Journal, 2017. 
• Genome-Wide Association Study for Pre-harvest Sprouting Resistance in a Large Germplasm Collection of Chinese Wheat Landraces, Yong Zhou, Hao Tang, Meng-Ping Cheng, Kwame O. Dankwa, Zhong-Xu Chen, Zhan-Yi Li, Shang Gao, Ya-Xi Liu, Qian-Tao Jiang, Xiu-Jin Lan, Zhi-En Pu, Yu-Ming Wei, You-Liang Zheng, Lee T. Hickey and Ji-Rui Wang, Frontiers in Plant Science, 2017. 

• PhD, Agronomy, Seed Science and Technology, Supervisor: Prof. Jirui Wang, Triticeae Research Institute, Sichuan Agricultural University, 2017
• MSc, Agronomy, Crop Genetic Breeding Science, Supervisor: Prof. Youliang Zheng, Triticeae Research Institute, Sichuan Agricultural University, 2013
• BSc, Agronomy, Sichuan Agricultural University, 2010 

• 2019-present: Postdoctoral Fellow, KAUST, Saudi Arabia

• 2017-2019: Postdoctoral Fellow, National Key Laboratory of Plant Molecular Genetics, Institute of Plant Physiology and Ecology, SIBS

• Regulatory mechanism study of genetic factors regulating expression of a high methionine storage protein, 10-kDa δ-zein in maize. Supported by China Postdoctoral Science Foundation, 2017.08 - 2019.07

• Professor Rod A. Wing's group
  
• Center for Desert Agriculture (CDA)
• Biological and Environmental Sciences and Engineering (BESE)