Rongjie Zhao Lecturer

Department of Marine Science

Location: Room 302-3, Building No.1, Binhai Central Campus,

Tianjin University of Science and Technology

E-mail：zhaorongjie@tust.edu.cn

Research Interests

Marine molecular ecology, effectiveness evaluation of marine protected areas

Education

Ph.D. in Marine Biology, Institute of Oceanology, Chinese Academy of Science, 2022

Bachelor of Science in Marine Biology, Ocean University of China, 2017

Positions & Employment

2026-present College of Marine and Environmental Science, Tianjin University of Science and Technology, Lecturer

2022-2026 State Key Lab of Marine Environmental Health, City University of Hong Kong, Postdoctoral fellow

Key Publications

1) Rongjie Zhao, B Kang, YH Yeung, WH Li, YF Chen, JY Sun, JH Yang, XW Zhang, Kenneth MY Leung*, Meng Yan*. Significance of rare species in evaluating marine conservation effects on fish community using Hill numbers. ICES Journal of Marine Science, 2026, 83.

2) FY Qu#, Rongjie Zhao#, J Li, YF Chen, LQ Li, Meng Yan*, Yi-Ping Ho*. Facile Environmental DNA Metabarcoding Enabled by Dissolvable Hydrogel Bead-Templated Emulsification. Sensors and Actuators B: Chemical. 2026, 451.

3) Rongjie Zhao, YF Chen, YF Sit, JL Li, Kenneth MY Leung*, Meng Yan*. A pilot study of fish biodiversity with a highlight of chondrichthyans in Hong Kong waters using environmental DNA metabarcoding. Regional Studies in Marine Science, 2025, 86:104194.

4) Rongjie Zhao, B Kang, YF Chen, TT Lam, YH Yeung, WH Li, Kenneth MY Leung*, Meng Yan*. Multifaceted biological indicators reveal an effective conservation scheme for marine protected areas. Ecological Indicators, 2024, 166.

5) Rongjie Zhao#, F Zhao#, L Feng, James KH Fang, CY Liu, Kuidong Xu*. A deep seamount effect enhanced the vertical connectivity of the planktonic community across 1,000 m above summit. Journal of Geophysical Research: Oceans, 2023, 128.

6) Rongjie Zhao#, F Zhao#, S Zheng, XG Li, JN Wang, Kuidong Xu*. Bacteria, protists and fungi may hold clues of seamount impact on diversity and connectivity of deep-sea pelagic communities. Frontiers in Microbiology, 2022, 13:773487.