1995年考入中国农业科学院研究生院作物遗传育种专业，1998年获农学硕士学位，2001年获农学博士学位。随后进入生物技术研究所工作，2009年1月任研究员。
社会兼职：第三届全国农作物品种审定委员会棉花专业委员会委员，棉花学会理事。

棉花功能基因组学，棉花抗逆、高产、优质分子育种。

一直从事棉花功能基因组学研究和棉花抗虫基因工程分子育种。 近 10 年来，重点聚焦在“三系”抗虫棉分子育种体系的建立和新品种培育方面，开展了大量的工作，培育和参与培育国审 “三系” 抗虫棉新品种 2 个，建立了不育系和恢复系快速测配体系，构建了不育和恢复的近等基因系群体。 近 5 年来，利用遗传学、分子生物学和生物信息学手段， 重点克隆在棉花“三系”育种体系不育基因和恢复基因并解析其生物学功能，探索棉花“三系”核质互作分子调控机理，目前取得显著的进展。此外， 在叶形、花色、纤维品质等重要农艺性状基因克隆及功能研究方面有丰富的经验。 申请人以通讯作者或第一作者身份在 New Phytol、Sci Rep、Front Plant Sci、Plant Breeding、PloS One、J Integr Agr 等主流学术期刊发表科研论文 50 多篇， 授权发明专利 15 项， 培育棉花审定品种 5 个，累计推广面积 600 多万亩；获省部级以上成果奖励 6 项。

1.Liang C, Li A, Yu H, Li W, Liang C, Guo S, Zhang R* and Chu C* (2017) Melatonin Regulates Root Architecture by Modulating Auxin Response in Rice. Front. Plant Sci. 8:134. doi: 10.3389/fpls.2017.00134

2.Liang, C., Sun, B., Meng, Z., Meng, Z., Wang, Y., Sun, G., Zhu, T., Lu, W., Zhang, W., Malik, W., Lin, M., Zhang, R*. and Guo, S*. (2017) Co-expression ofGR79 EPSPSandGATyields herbicide-resistant cotton with low glyphosate residues.Plant Biotechnol. J., https://doi.org/10.1111/pbi.12744

3.Tao Zhu, Chengzhen Liang, Zhigang Meng, Guoqing Sun, Zhaoghong Meng, Sandui Guo*, and Rui Zhang*. CottonFGD: an integrated functional genomics database for cotton. BMC Plant Biology (2017) 17:101 , DOI 10.1186/s12870-017-1039-x

4.Yanling Wang, Zhigang Meng, Chengzhen Liang, Zhaohong Meng, Yuan Wang, Guoqing Sun, Tao Zhu, Yongping Cai, Sandui Guo, Rui Zhang*, Yi Lin*. Increased lateral root formation by CRISPR/Cas9-mediated editing of arginase genes in cotton. Science China Life Sciences (2017) 60(5): 524–527

5.Xiaofeng Su, Latifur Rehman, Huiming Guo, Xiaokang Li, Rui Zhang* and Hongmei Cheng*. AAC as a Potential Target Gene to Control Verticillium dahlia. Genes 2017, 8, 25; doi:10.3390/genes8010025

6.Rong Yan, Chengzhen Liang, Zhigang Meng, Waqas Malik, Tao Zhu, Xuefeng Zong*, Sandui Guo*, Rui Zhang*. Progress in genome sequencing will accelerate molecular breeding in cotton (Gossypiumspp.). 3 Biotech (2016) 6:217, DOI 10.1007/s13205-016-0534-3

7.Abid MA, Malik W, Yasmeen A, Qayyum A, Zhang R, Liang C, Guo S, Ashraf J. 2016. Mode of inheritance for biochemical traits in genetically engineered cotton under water stress.AoB PLANTS8: plw008; doi:10.1093/aobpla/plw008

8.Chengzhen Liang, Zhaohong Meng, Zhigang Meng, Waqas Malik, Rong Yan, Khin Myat Lwin, Fazhuang Lin, Yuan Wang, Guoqing Sun, Tao Zhou, Tao Zhu, Jianying Li, Shuangxia Jin, Sandui Guo & Rui Zhang*. GhABF2, a bZIP transcription factor, confers drought and salinity tolerance in cotton (Gossypium hirsutumL.) Scientific Reports, 2016, 6:35040 | DOI: 10.1038/srep35040

9.Guoqing Sun, Dongling Zhang, Rui Zhang, Yuan Wang, Zhigang Meng, Tao Zhou, Chenzhen Liang, Tao Zhu, Sandui Guo. Bt protein expression in the transgenic insect-resistant cotton in China. Sci. Bull. (2016) 61(20):1555–1557, DOI 10.1007/s11434-016-1158-z

10.Fangjie Xiong, Rui Zhang#, Zhigang Meng, Kexuan Deng, Yumei Que, Fengping Zhuo, Li Feng, Sundui Guo, Raju Datla and Maozhi Ren. Brassinosteriod Insensitive 2 (BIN2) acts as a downstream effector of the Target of Rapamycin (TOR) signaling pathway to regulate photoautotrophic growth in Arabidopsis. New Phytologist(2016) doi: 10.1111/nph.14118

11.魏琦超，张 锐，孟志刚，孙国清，周 焘，赵雷霖，郭三堆. 人肿瘤坏死因子相关凋亡诱导配体基因植物表达载体的构建及瞬时表达. 中国农业科技导报，2016，18( 1) :40－45

12.刘妍, 孟志刚, 孙国清, 王远, 周焘, 郭三堆, 张锐*. 陆地棉GhPYR1基因的克隆和功能分析. 生物技术通报, 2016, 32(2):90-99

13.Meng Z, Meng Z, Zhang R, Liang C, Wan J,Wang Y, et al. (2015) Expression of the Rice Arginase GeneOsARGin Cotton Influences the Morphology and Nitrogen Transition of Seedlings. PLoS ONE 10 (11): e0141530. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0141530

14.SUN Bao, SUN Guo-qing, MENG Zhi-gang, ZHANG Rui, GUO San-dui. A novel constitutive promoter and its downstream 5′ UTR derived from cotton (Gossypium spp.) drive high-level gene expression in stem and leaf tissues. Journal of Integrative Agriculture Advanced Online Publication (2015) Doi：10.1016/S2095-3119(15)61054-1

15.郭三堆，王 远，孙国清，金石桥，周 焘，孟志刚，张 锐. 中国转基因棉花研发应用二十年. 中国农业科学2015,48(17):3372-3387

16.李 超，张 锐，任茂智，王 远，孙国清，孟志刚，周 焘，郭三堆. 二穗短柄草BdTOＲ基因的克隆及功能分析. 中国农业科技导报，2015，17( 1) :71－ 77

17.李 杨, 陈全家, 曲延英, 孟志刚, 王裴林, 郭三堆, 张 锐. orf160在不同棉花CMS胞质中的表达分析. 新疆农业科学2015，52(3) :420 －428