Biography
Dr. Hou Lei is an Assistant Professor at the CHINA-ASEAN College of Marine Sciences (CAMS), Xiamen University Malaysia. She has been conducting comprehensive research in the field of marine microbial ecology and biogeochemical cycling for many years. Her research and publications focus on two key areas: the microbial metabolism of marine particulate organic matter and its implications for carbon storage; and the ecophysiology, adaptation, and environmental responses of marine chemolithoautotrophs. She has extensive experience in independent research, collaboration, student mentoring, and marine scientific expeditions.
Research Interest
- Marine microbial ecology
- Microbial community structure and function
- Microbial carbon and nitrogen biogeochemistry
Educational Background
- PhD in Marine Biology – Xiamen University, 2019
- MSc in Marine Biology – Xiamen University, 2015
- BSc in Environmental Engineering – East China University of Technology, 2012
Working Experience
- Assistant Professor – China-ASEAN Marine Science School, Xiamen University Malaysia (2026 - Present)
- Research Scientist – State Key Laboratory of Marine Environmental Science, Xiamen University (2025 -2026)
- Postdoctoral Researcher – Xiamen University (2020-2025)
Research Experience
National Natural Science Foundation of China (NSFC) project, Grant No. 42206098. Principal Investigator, 2023 to 2025.
NSFC project, Grant No. 42430404. Participant, 2025 to 2029.
National Key Research and Development Program of China project, Grant No. 2020YFA0608300. Key Personnel, 2020 to 2025.
NSFC project, Grant No. 42076160. Participant, 2021 to 2024.
NSFC project, Grant No. 92051114, Participant, 2021 to 2023.
Representative Publications
Hou, Lei, Zhao, Z., Steger-Mähnert, B., et al. Microbial metabolism in laboratory reared marine snow as revealed by a multi-omics approach, Microbiome, 2025, 13:114.
Hou, Lei, Xie, X., Wan, X., et al. Niche differentiation of ammonia and nitrite oxidizers along a salinity gradient from the Pearl River estuary to the South China Sea, Biogeosciences, 2018, 15(16): 5169-5187.
Qin, W., Tagliabue, A., Hou, Lei, et al. Ocean warming enhances iron use efficiencies of marine ammonia oxidizing archaea, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, 2026, 123(10): 1-10. (Co-first author)
Hou, Lei, Sun, J., Xie, X., et al. Genome sequence of Acuticoccus yangtzensis JL1095T (DSM 28604T) isolated from the Yangtze Estuary, Standards in genomic sciences (now Environmental Microbiome), 2017, 12: 91-98.
Hou, Lei, Zhang, Y., Sun, J., et al. Acuticoccus yangtzensis gen. nov., sp. nov., a novel member in the family Rhodobacteraceae, isolated from the surface water of the Yangtze Estuary. Current microbiology, 2015, 70(2):176-82.
Wan, X., Hou, Lei, Kao, S.-J., et al. Pathways of N2O production by marine ammonia-oxidizing archaea determined from dual-isotope labeling, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, 2023, 120(11): e2220697120.
Zhang, Y., Qin, W., Hou, Lei, et al. Nitrifier adaptation to low energy flux controls inventory of reduced nitrogen in the dark ocean, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, 2020, 117(9): 4823-4830.
Qin, W., Wei, S.P., Zheng, Y., et al. (including Hou, Lei) Ammonia-oxidizing bacteria and archaea exhibit differential nitrogen source preferences, Nature Microbiology, 2024, 9: 524-536.
Liu, L., Chen, M., Wan, X.S., et al. (including Hou, Lei) Reduced nitrite accumulation at the primary nitrite maximum in the cyclonic eddies in the western North Pacific subtropical gyre, Science Advances, 2023, 9(33): 1-14.
Honors / Awards
Second Contributor (2/5) to a project selected as one of the Top Ten Advances in China Ocean and Limnology (2020), Chinese Society for Oceanography and Limnology, 2021.
Fu Ying Scholarship, Xiamen University, 2015