Qingshun Zhao received his B.S. and M.S. degree from Nanjing University, and his Ph.D. degree from Purdue University. He completed his Ph.D. study under the supervision of Prof. Paul Collodi, where he focused on the identification and characterization of various isoforms of fibronectin during zebrafish development. From 2001 to 2003, he conducted postdoctoral training under the supervision of Prof. Elwood Linney at Duke University Medical Center, where he conducted research on the role and mechanisms of retinoic acid signaling in zebrafish hindbrain development. Dr. Zhao joined Nanjing University Model Animal Research Center as a full-time Associate Professor and Principal Investigator in 2003， and was promoted to Professor in 2006. He focuses on the roles of retinoid signaling and fibronectin-integrin signaling in the development of the vertebrate neural tube, establishes models for human neural tube defects, and applies genome editing techniques to zebrafish.