Xihong Wang, Ph.D.
Professor & Doctoral Supervisor
College of Animal Science and Technology, Northwest A&F University
Education and Academic Positions
2026 – present: Professor, College of Animal Science and Technology, Northwest A&F University
2018 – 2026: Associate Professor (direct appointment), Northwest A&F University
2013 – 2018: Faculty member, Northwest A&F University
2008 – 2013: Combined M.Sc. and Ph.D. program, Kunming Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences
2002 – 2006: B.Sc., Ocean University of China
Research Interests
Livestock Pan-genome and Structural Variation: Construction of graph-based goat pan-genomes, discovery of novel sequences and structural variations (SVs) for complex trait dissection and molecular breeding.
Goat Domestication and Adaptive Evolution: Detection of wild introgression contributing to domestication; identification of genes and functional variants underlying immunity, tameness, and cashmere/fiber traits.
Genomic Selection and Breeding: Development of low-cost genotype imputation and breeding value prediction systems based on pan-genome and SVs; application in molecular design breeding of Shanbei White Cashmere goats and Guanzhong Dairy goats.
Grants and Awards
National Natural Science Foundation of China (NSFC) International Cooperation Project
NSFC General Project
Sub-project of National Key R&D Program of China
Key R&D Program of Shaanxi Province
Breeding Project of Yulin Animal Husbandry and Veterinary Bureau
Second Prize of Natural Science Award of Shaanxi Province (2025) – Excavation of Elite Genes from Global Goat Domestication and Improvement and Database Construction (First Awardee)
Teaching and Student Mentoring
Courses: Molecular Biology, Animal Biotechnology, Bioinformatics
Associate Editor of Animal Biotechnology (2nd Edition); Co-editor of Big Data Acquisition and Analysis in Animal Husbandry
First Prize, Young Faculty Lecture Competition, Northwest A&F University (2018)
First Prize, University-Level Teaching Achievement Award (2025)
Supervised graduate students receiving National Scholarships
Advised undergraduate first-author publication (B-category journal) and one core journal paper
Guided students to win Third Prize (Provincial Level) in the National College Student Life Science Competition
Selected Publications
(1)Tan G#, Zhang A#, Cao X#,Yang J#,..., Wang X*, Xiao Z*, Zheng Y*, Jiang Y*. Cross-species insights into placental evolution and diseases at the single-cell resolution. Nature Communications. 2026.
(2)Tao Shi#, Huiquan Shan#, Haoping Wang#,…, Xihong Wang*,Yu Jiang*. Single-Cell Transcriptomic Atlases of Camels and Cattle Unravel Molecular Evolution of Digestive and Metabolic Systems. Advanced Science. 2026. DOI:10.1002/advs.202519346.
(3) Bian P#, Li J#, Zhou S#,…, Jiang Y*, Wang X*. A Graph-based Goat Pangenome Reveals Structural Variations Involved in Domestication and Adaptation. Molecular Biology and Evolution. 2024; 41(12): msae251.
(4) Dou M#, Li M#, Zheng Z#,…,Wang X*, Jiang Y*. A missense mutation in RRM1 contributes to animal tameness. Science Advances. 2023; 9(25): eadf4068.
(5) Nanaei HA#, Cai Y#, Alshawi,…, Wang X*, Jiang Y*, Genomic analysis of indigenous goats in Southwest Asia reveals evidence of ancient adaptive introgression related to desert climate. Zoological Research, 2023, 44(1): 20-29.
(6) Yang Z#, Li J#, Zheng Z,…, Jiang Y*, Zheng W*, Wang X*. Allele-specific expression analyses reveal immune divergences between ibex and goat species. Zoological Research. 2022, 43(4): 671-674.
(7) Billah M, Wang X, Yu J, Jiang Y*. Real-time goat face recognition using convolutional neural network. Computers and Electronics in Agriculture. 2022, 194: 106730.
(8) Li M#, Sun C#, Xu N#, Wang X#, et al. De Novo Assembly of 20 Chicken Genomes Reveals the Undetectable Phenomenon for Thousands of Core Genes on Microchromosomes and Subtelomeric Regions. Molecular Biology and Evolution. 2022; 39(4): msac066.
(9) Huang Y#, Li Y#, Wang X#, et al. An atlas of CNV maps in cattle, goat and sheep. Science China Life Sciences. 2021; 64(10): 1747-1764.
(10) Zheng Z#, Wang X#, Li M#, et al. The origin of domestication genes in goat. Science Advances. 2020, 6(21): eaaz5216.
(11) Cai Y#, Fu W#, Cai D#,..., Jiang Y*, Wang X*. Ancient Genomes Reveal the Evolutionary History and Origin of Cashmere-Producing Goats in China. Molecular Biology and Evolution. 2020; 37(7): 2099-2109.
(12) Wang X#, Zheng Z#, Cai Y#, et al. CNVcaller: highly efficient and widely applicable software for detecting copy number variations in large populations. GigaScience. 2017; 6(12): 1-12.
Recruitment
I am seeking motivated Master and Ph.D. students in animal genetics and breeding. Candidates with a strong interest in animal genomics, bioinformatics, molecular breeding, and those who are ambitious, hardworking, and team-oriented are especially encouraged to apply.
Contact Information
Address: Home Economics Ecology Building (South Campus), Northwest A&F University, Yangling, Shaanxi Province, 712100, China
Email: wxh@nwafu.edu.cn
Updated: May 2026
