Liping Zhao is the Eveleigh-Fenton Chair of Applied Microbiology, Department of Biochemistry and Microbiology, at the School of Environmental and Biological Sciences, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey. His research interests surround: developing molecular and genomic tools for systems understanding and predictive manipulation of the complex microbial communities in human and animal guts; understanding interactions between diet and gut microbiota in onset and progression of chronic diseases such as obesity and diabetes; and formulating interventions integrating traditional Chinese medicine and medicinal foods into modern day diet to modulate the relationship between gut microbiota and humans for achieving preventive health care.