Cultivating Curiosity

Science fiction often revels in the trope of immortality, with writers scripting scientists of the future unlocking secrets that allow humans to live forever. While immortality remains a fantasy for now, scientists like Florida State University alumnus Yi Zhang are working to answer some of the most significant questions surrounding how we age on a molecular level and what can be done to slow the process. 

“If we solve problems surrounding aging, the impact is bigger than that of conquering any single disease,” Zhang said. “If you have an organ defect, you can potentially replace it through regenerative medicine, but making an organ work seamlessly with other parts of the body isn’t easy, not to mention immune rejection. Like a car, you can change every part out to keep it running, but if you pay closer attention and take care of it, you can drive much longer without replacing parts.” 

Zhang is a leader in the field of epigenetics — the study of how genes are impacted by behaviors and environment. He currently serves as the Fred S. Rosen endowed Professor of Pediatrics and Professor of Genetics at Harvard Medical School and Boston Children’s Hospital and an investigator for the Howard Hughes Medical Institute. His research examines the epigenetic basis of gene expression in early development, stem cell reprogramming and aging, as well as reward-related learning and memory. His work also focuses on how imbalances in epigenetic-based gene expression can contribute to various diseases and addiction disorders. 

“I chose science as my career because I enjoy reading and critical thinking,” Zhang said. “During graduate school at FSU’s Institute of Molecular Biophysics, I was very interested in figuring things out. Curiosity has always been my driving force.” 

Zhang’s research career began when he earned a bachelor’s in biophysics from China Agricultural University in 1984 before a scholarship offer brought him to FSU. When Zhang arrived in the U.S. from Beijing, China, in 1989 to begin his first year of graduate school, he had $100 in his pocket. Stepping off the plane in Atlanta, Georgia, he phoned a friend from FSU to request a ride.

“In science, if you follow your interests and persevere, eventually you will find something you truly enjoy.”

— Yi Zhang

“On the map, Atlanta looks quite close to campus, but my friend said, ‘Oh no... it’s a four- or five-hour drive,’” Zhang laughed. 

As fate would have it, airfare to Tallahassee was $99. 

“I was very lucky!” Zhang said. 

At FSU, Zhang joined the lab of now-professor emeritus of biological science Lloyd Epstein. 

“Yi was one of the most reliable, industrious, and technically excellent workers in the lab,” Epstein said. “He was the ultimate team player and as his mastery of our system increased, he became a sounding board for other members of the lab to share ideas.” 

After earning his Ph.D. from FSU in 1995, Zhang began postdoctoral studies at the Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, now part of Rutgers University in New Jersey. There, he identified and characterized the Sin3 and NuRD histone deacetylase complexes, which play crucial roles in regulating gene expression. Zhang went on to become an independent investigator at the Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, where he was named the Kenan Distinguished Professor in 2009. 

In 2012, Zhang accepted an offer to join the faculty at Harvard Medical School, where his lab today focuses on three main pillars of research: gene expression during early mammalian embryo development; the epigenetic basis of addiction disorders; and how the body’s hematopoietic system — which is responsible for producing all blood cells — changes with age. 

In 2023, for the first time in almost 30 years, Zhang returned to Tallahassee to present the FSU Department of Biological Science’s Ralph W. Yerger Lecture, an honor reserved for alumni who have achieved high degrees of excellence in their careers. Zhang’s lecture covered some of his lab’s key discoveries over the last quarter century. Epstein, the mentor to whom Zhang attributes many of his successes, provided the introduction. 

“Yi came to us with a great deal of skills and abilities, and during his stay here, he developed these skills to extremely high standards,” Epstein told the packed auditorium. “We worked well together because, despite our cultural differences, we both believed in the sanctity of science and the scientific process. I think he learned some things from me, and I know I learned from him.” 

As his epigenetic research at Harvard Medical School continues, Zhang acknowledges that science, while not for everyone, is a rewarding career path. 

“In science, if you follow your interests and persevere, eventually you will find something you truly enjoy,” he said. “When you make a scientific discovery, it’s exciting to be the first one in the world who knows the result.”