教育经历：
2011年9月- 2017年1月 北京大学，生命科学学院，理学博士。
2007年9月- 2011年6月 南京农业大学，生命科学学院，理学学士。
工作经历：
2017年2月- 至今 华中师范大学，生命科学学院，副教授
2013年10月- 2015年10月，美国加州大学圣地亚哥分校，物理系，访问****
荣誉或奖励

2020年 华中师范大学“三育人先进个人”
2021年 华中师范大学“桂子****”
2019年 华中师范大学“桂子青年****”
2017年 湖北省高层次人才支持计划（青年）项目，湖北省楚天****计划，楚天学子。
2017年1月 优秀毕业生，北京大学
2011年6月 优秀毕业生，南京农业大学

主要研究领域：
本课题组的研究方向为微生物合成与定量生物学,该领域目前是国际领域的研究热点。研究思路属于定量生物学与经典的分子生物学的交叉，涉及到多学科的研究理论策略。我们的研究主要集中于（但不局限于）细菌。我们希望建立一个理解细菌的综合性框架体系，进而可以预测细菌这个系统的“运作模式”（如其对各种生长逆境的生理响应，细胞大小的调节机制等等）。
承担科研项目：
国家自然科学基金优秀青年基金项目，**，微生物生长生理，2021.01-2023.12，120万，在研，主持。
国家自然科学基金面上项目，**，需钠弧菌细胞大小及细胞周期与生长偶联的定量模式研究，2019.01-2022.12，59万，在研，主持。
国家自然科学基金青年项目，**，核糖核苷酸还原酶对大肠杆菌细胞大小与细胞周期的调控研究，2018.01-2020.12，25万，结题，主持。
代表性论文：
Zhu M, Mu H, Jia M, Deng L, Dai X. (2021). Control of ribosome synthesis in bacteria: the important role of rRNA chain elongation rate. Science China Life Sciences. 64(5), 795-802. (First and corresponding author, IF4.5)
Dai X, Zhu M. (2020). Coupling of Ribosome Synthesis and Translational Capacity with Cell Growth. Trends Biochem Sci. 45(8), 681-692. (IF:16.9 Corresponding author)
Zhu, M., Dai, X. (2020). Bacterial stress defense: the crucial role of ribosome speed. Cell. Mol. Life Sci. 77(5), 853–858 (2020). (IF:7.0, First and corresponding author)
Zhu M, Mori M, Hwa T, Dai X. (2019). Disruption of transcription-translation coordination in Escherichia coli leads to premature transcriptional termination. Nature Microbiology. 4(12), 2347-2356 (IF:14.63) (First author)
Highlighted by M Chen, K Fredrick (2020) J Mol Biol https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jmb.2020.03.018
Zhu M, Dai X. (2019). Maintenance of translational elongation rate underlies the survival of Escherichia coli during oxidative stress. Nucleic Acids Research. 47(14) 7592-7604, (2019). (First and Corresponding Author) (IF: 11.6).
Zhu M*, Pan, Y, Dai X*_. (2019). (p)ppGpp: the magic governor of bacterial growth economy. Curr Genet. 65(5), 1121-1125. (invited review) (First and Corresponding Author, IF: 3.6).
Zhu M, Dai X. (2019). Growth suppression by altered (p)ppGpp level results from non-optimal resource allocation in Escherichia coli. Nucleic acids Research. 47(9), 4684-4693. (First Author) (IF: 11.6).
“Outstanding interest” paper highlighted by Kim J et al (2020) Curr Opin Biotech 62:29-37
Dai X, Shen Z, Wang Y, Zhu M. (2018). Sinorhizobium meliloti, a slow-growing bacterium, exhibits growth rate dependence of cell size under nutrient limitation. mSphere 3:e00567-18. (Corresponding Author) (IF: 3.6)
Highlighted by Nature Reviews Microbiology, https://www.nature.com/articles/s41579-018-0124-y
Dai X, Zhu M. (2018). High osmolarity modulates bacterial cell size through reducing initiation volume in Escherichia coli. mSphere 3:e00430-18. (Corresponding Author) (IF:3.6)
Zhu M, Dai X. (2018). High salt cross-protects Escherichia coli from antibiotic treatment through increasing efflux pump expression. mSphere 3:e00095-18. (First Author) (IF:3.6).
Zhu M, Dai X. (2018) On the intrinsic constraint of bacterial growth rate: M. tuberculosis’s view of protein translation capacity. Critical Reviews in Microbiology. 44(4), 455-464. (First Author) (IF: 4.7)
Dai X*, Zhu M*, Warren M, Balakrishnan R, Okano H, Williamson JR, Fredrick K, Hwa T. (2018). Slowdown of translational elongation in Escherichia coli under hyperosmotic stress. mBio 9:e02375-17. (Co-first Author) (IF: 6.7)
Zhu M, Dai X, Guo W, Ge Z, Yang M, Wang H, Wang Y-P. (2017). Manipulating the bacterial cell cycle and cell size by titrating the expression of ribonucleotide reductase. mBio 8:e01741-17. (Co-first Author) (IF: 6.7)
Dai, X*., Zhu, M*., Warren, M., Balakrishnan R., Okano, H., Fredrick, K., Wang, Y. P., & Hwa, T. (2016). Reduction of translating ribosomes enables Escherichia coli to maintain elongation rates during slow growth. Nature Microbiology, 2, 16231. (Co-first Author) (IF: 14.2)
Zhu, M., Dai, X., & Wang, Y. P. (2016). Real time determination of bacterial in vivo translation elongation speed based on LacZ alpha complementation assay. Nucleic acids research, 44(20): e155. (First Author) (IF: 11.6)
Basan, M*., Zhu, M*., Dai, X., Warren, M., Sévin, D., Wang, Y. P., & Hwa, T. (2015). Inflating bacterial cells by increased protein synthesis. Molecular Systems Biology, 11(10), 836. (Co-first Author) (IF: 9.7)
Dai, X*., Zhu, M*., & Wang, Y. P. (2014). Circular permutation of E. coli EPSP synthase: increased inhibitor resistance, improved catalytic activity, and an indicator for protein fragment complementation. Chemical Communications, 50(15), 1830-1832. (Co-first Author) (IF: 6.3)