Ning’s research interest is to utilize genomics and bioinformatics to answer biological and evolutionary questions which have not been elucidated by traditional methods. His PhD work focused on QTL analysis of catfish performance traits including disease resistance, hypoxia tolerance and fast growth. Ning identified several QTL and candidate genes for fast growth through GWAS, and validated them using bulk segregant RNA sequencing (BSR-seq). These results will assist marker-assisted selection or gene-assisted selection in the catfish industry. He has also conducted analysis of the walking catfish (Clarias batrachus) genome and transcriptome sequences to reveal the genetic basis of its adaptation to transition from water to land. Ning assembled whole genome sequences of C. batrachus for comparisons with non-air-breathing fish to identify its specific genomic architecture. He has also sequenced and compared transcriptomes of air-breathing organs and water-breathing organs (gills) to demonstrate their functional differences. He is currently working on utilizing single-individual RNA-seq to examine the effects of mitochondria and mito-nuclear interactions on sex-specific aging in copepod Tigriopus californicus.
