Dr. Xuemei (Missi) Zhang is a data scientist with ten years of data analysis experience in the biological sciences. She completed her PhD at Virginia Tech, where she gained expertise in applied statistics, bioinformatics, and machine learning. Her postdoctoral research focused on developing automated plant disease detection systems in collaboration with mechanical, biochemical, and biosystems engineers. Dr. Zhang has expertise in bioinformatics, statistical analysis, and image data analysis. Her understanding of biological sciences allows her to apply data science techniques to solve complex biological problems and communicate effectively with biological scientists. She is particularly interested in leveraging data science and AI techniques to tackle real-world healthcare challenges to improve Point-of-Care testing, disease diagnosis, and patient prioritization while addressing health disparities. Outside of her work, she finds inspiration and enjoyment in languages, cultures, and art.
He, Y., Lin, X., Zhang, X. M., Ci, Q. & Chen, J. Simultaneous Dual-Gene Detection of Escherichia coli 0157:H7 Based on CRISPR/Cas13-Mediated Biosensor (In Preparation).
Cao, C., Zhang, X. M., Li, S., Vinatzer, B. & Chen, J. Development of a Microneedle-Based CRISPR-Cas12a assay (MN-DETECTR) for sensitive and specific pathogen detection (In Preparation).
Cridland, C., Freed, C., Russo A., CraigeB., Donahue J., Zhang, X. M., Payne M., & Gillaspy, G. (Accepted) Enhancing Inositol Pyrophosphate Accumulation in Plants Alters Growth, Phosphate Homeostasis, And Insect Herbivory. The Plant J.
Zhang, X., Johnson, C., & Reed, D. (2025) Interspecific variation in virulence among Pythium Species Xuemei (Missi) Zhang 3 in Tobacco Transplant Production Greenhouses. Plant Dis. https://doi.org/10.1094/PDIS-09-24-1999- RE.
He, Y., Zhang, X., & Chen, J. Simultaneous Dual-Gene Detection of Escherichia coli 0157:H7 Based on CRISPR/Cas13-Mediated Biosensor. American Society of Agricultural and Biological Engineers (ASABE) annual international meeting, July 28-31, 2024, Anaheim, CA. (Oral Presentation abstract)
Zhang, X., Vinatzer, B., & Li, S. (2024) Hyperspectral Imaging Analysis for the Early Detection of Tomato Bacterial Leaf Spot Disease. Scientific Report, 14(1), 27666.
Silwal, A., Zhang, X., Hadlock,T., Neice, j., Haque, s., Kaundanya, A., Lu, C., Vinatzer, B., Kantor, G., & Li, S. (2024). Towards an AI-driven cyber-physical system for closed-loop control of plant diseases. Proceedings of the AAAI Symposium Series (Vol. 4, No. 1, pp. 432-435).
Dewberry, R.J., Sharma, P., Prom, J.L., Kinscherf, N.A., Lowe-Power, T., Mazloom, R., Zhang, X., Liu, H., Arif, M., Stulberg, M. and Heath, L.S., 2024. Genotypic and Phenotypic Analyses Show Ralstonia solanacearum Cool Virulence is a Quantitative Trait Not Restricted to “Race 3 biovar 2”. Phytopathology®, 114(12), pp.2468-2480.
Dhakal, K., Sivaramakrishnan, U., Zhang, X., Belay, K., Oakes, J., Wei, X., & Li, S. (2023). Machine Learning Analysis of Hyperspectral Images of Damaged Wheat Kernels. Sensors, 23(7), 3523.
Liu, D., Samtani, J., Johnson, C., Zhang, X., Butler, D.M., & Derr, J. (2023) Brewer’s Spent Grain with Yeast Amendment Shows Potential for Anaerobic Soil Disinfestation of Weeds and Pythium irregulare. Agronomy. https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy13082081
Zhang, X., Johnson, C., & Reed, D. (2022) Diversity of Pythium Species Recovered from Float-bed Tobacco Transplant Production Greenhouses. Plant Dis. https://doi.org/10.1094/PDIS-06-22-1438-RE.
Zhang, X., Johnson, C., & Reed, D. (2021) Management of Pythium myriotylum in Tobacco Transplant Production Greenhouses. Plant Health Prog. https://doi.org/10.1094/PHP-03-21-0062-FI
Zhang, X., Jiang, H., & Hao, J. (2019). Evaluation of the Risk of Development of Fluopicolide Resistance in Phytophthora erythroseptica. Plant Dis. 103(2), 284-288.