安徽肥西人；2009年毕业于中国科学院动物研究所，生态学专业，获理学博士学位；2009-2012年在美国密歇根大学生态与进化生物学系做博士后研究；2012年2月至今为武汉大学生命科学学院教授。长期从事动物多样性与适应性演化研究，迄今以通讯作者身份在Nature Ecology & Evolution（2篇）、Science Advances、PNAS（3篇）、Molecular Biology and Evolution（6篇）、Molecular Ecology（2篇）等国际权威期刊发表过研究论文。2015年入选国家高层次人才计划青年项目。

(1）解析动物行为、生理、形态多样性的进化历史；主要以蝙蝠为研究系统，偶尔研究鸟类和其它兽类；（2）比较动物感觉系统的功能和适应性进化。

1) Tian S#, Si J#, Zhang L#, Zeng J, Zhang X, Huang C, Li G, Lei C, Zhou X, Geng R, Zhou P, Rossiter SJ*, and Zhao H* (2025). Comparative genomics provides insights into chromosomal evolution and immunological adaptation in horseshoe bats. Nature Ecology & Evolution. In press. DOI:10.1038/s41559-025-02638-2 2) Yan H#, Jiao H#, Liu Q, Zhang Z, Xiong Q, Wang BJ, Wang X, Guo M, Wang LF, Lan K*, Chen Y*, and Zhao H* (2021). ACE2 receptor usage reveals variation in susceptibility to SARS-CoV and SARS-CoV-2 infection among bat species. Nature Ecology & Evolution. 5(5):600-608. 3) Tian S#, Zeng J#, Jiao H, Zhang D, Zhang L, Lei CQ, Rossiter SJ, and Zhao H* (2023). Comparative analyses of bat genomes identify distinct evolution of immunity in Old World fruit bats. Science Advances. 9(18):eadd0141. 4) Hao X, Jiao H, Zou D, Li Q, Yuan X, Liao W, Jiang P, and Zhao H* (2023). Evolution of bitter receptor genes and ontogenetic dietary shift in a frog. PNAS. 120(8):e2218183120. 5) Jiao H#, Xie HW#, Zhang L#, Zhuoma N, Jiang P, and Zhao H* (2021). Loss of sweet taste despite the conservation of sweet receptor genes in insectivorous bats. PNAS. 118(4):e2021516118. 6) Li Y#, Jiao H#, Sin SYW, Wang R, Rossiter SJ, and Zhao H* (2023). Common ancestors of bats were omnivorous suggested by resurrection of ancestral sweet receptors. Science Bulletin. 68(16):1748-1751. 7) Zeng J, Zhang X, Huang C, Tian S, and Zhao H* (2025). Dampened TLR2-mediated inflammatory signaling in bats. Molecular Biology and Evolution. 42(1):msae253. 8) Jiao H#, Wang Q#, Wang BJ, Li K, Lövy M, Nevo E, Li Q, Su W, Jiang P, and Zhao H* (2021). Local adaptation of bitter taste and ecological speciation in a wild mammal. Molecular Biology and Evolution. 38(10):4562-4572. 9) Zou D, Tian S, Zhang T, Zhuoma N, Wu G, Wang M, Dong L, Rossiter SJ, and Zhao H* (2021). Vulture genomes reveal molecular adaptations underlying obligate scavenging and low levels of genetic diversity. Molecular Biology and Evolution. 38(9):3649-3663. 10) Zhao H* (2020). COVID-19 drives new threat to bats in China. Science. 367(6485):1436. DOI: 10.1126/science.abb3088 (Letter) 11) Wang K, Tian S, Galindo-González J, Dávalos LM, Zhang Y, and Zhao H* (2020). Molecular adaptation and convergent evolution of frugivory in Old World and neotropical fruit bats. Molecular Ecology. 29(22):4366-4381. 12) Wang BJ, Xia JM, Wang Q, Yu JL, Song Z, and Zhao H* (2020). Diet and adaptive evolution of alanine-glyoxylate aminotransferase mitochondrial targeting in birds. Molecular Biology and Evolution. 37(3):786-798. 13) Jiao H#, Zhang L#, Xie HW, Simmons NB, Liu H, and Zhao H*(2019).Trehalase gene as a molecular signature of dietary diversification in mammals. Molecular Biology and Evolution. 36:2171-2183. 14) Jiao H, Wang Y, Zhang L, Jiang P*, and Zhao H* (2018). Lineage-specific duplication and adaptive evolution of bitter taste receptor genes in bats. Molecular Ecology. 27:4475–4488. 15) Wu J#, Jiao H#, Simmons NB, Lu Q*, and Zhao H* (2018). Testing the sensory tradeoff hypothesis in New World bats. Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences. 285:20181523. (Cover Story) 16) Zhang Y, Jiao Y, Jiao H, Zhao H*, and Zhu YX* (2017). Two-step functional innovation of the stem-cell factors WUS/WOX5 during plant evolution. Molecular Biology and Evolution. 3:640-653. 17) Li K#, Hong W#, Jiao H, Wang GD, Rodriguez KA, Buffenstein R, Zhao Y, Nevo E*, and Zhao H* (2015). Sympatric speciation revealed by genome-wide divergence in the blind mole rat Spalax. PNAS. 112:11905-11910. 18) Zhao H, Li J, and Zhang J* (2015). Molecular evidence for the loss of three basic tastes in penguins. Current Biology. 25:R141-R142. 19) Hong W, and Zhao H* (2014). Vampire bats exhibit evolutionary reduction of bitter taste receptor genes common to other bats. Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences. 281: 20141079. 20) Zhao H*, and Zhang J* (2012). Mismatches between feeding ecology and taste receptor evolution: An inconvenient truth. PNAS. 109:E1464. (Letter to Editor) 21) Zhao H, Xu D, Zhang S*, and Zhang J* (2011). Widespread losses of vomeronasal signal transduction in bats. Molecular Biology and Evolution. 28:7-12. 22) Zhao H, Zhou Y, Pinto CM, Charles-Dominique P, Galindo-Gonzalez J, Zhang S*, and Zhang J* (2010). Evolution of the sweet taste receptor gene Tas1r2 in bats. Molecular Biology and Evolution. 27:2642-2650. 23) Zhao H, Yang JR, Xu H, and Zhang J* (2010). Pseudogenization of the umami taste receptor gene Tas1r1 in the giant panda coincided with its dietary switch to bamboo. Molecular Biology and Evolution. 27:2669-2673. 24) Zhao H, Rossiter SJ*, Teeling EC*, Li C, Cotton JA, and Zhang S* (2009). The evolution of color vision in nocturnal mammals. PNAS. 106:8980-8985.