Weizhen Zhang is a Research Assistant Professor in the Section of General Surgery. Dr. Zhang received his bachelors in medicine from Sun Yat-sen University of Medical Sciences in 1987, and Ph.D. from Beijing Medical University in 1994. Dr. Zhang joined the faculty at the University of Michigan in 2000.

Dr. Zhang's research focuses on defining the mechanisms that underlie temporal and spatial patterns of intracellular calcium [Ca²⁺]_i signaling in neurons and glial cells. Investigation involves precisely recording [Ca²⁺]_i by high-speed fluorescence imaging techniques. Intracellular signaling proteins: G proteins and elements in phosphoinositide-signaling pathway, are defined and manipulated with molecular approaches. The roles of these signaling proteins in the fine regulation of [Ca²⁺]_i signaling are therefore assessed. The relation of [Ca²⁺]_i signaling dynamics to release of chemical messengers is also being investigated.