His research is on environmental microbiology and spans environmental risk assessment, innovative biofuel processes, cost-effective wastewater treatment systems, water reuse and disinfection technologies. He is developing molecular microbiology techniques to evaluate antibiotic-resistant bacteria in natural and engineered systems, molecular microbial ecology, microbial electrosynthesis cells, carbon nanotubes for water purification, and indirect and direct potable reuse. Zhou received his Ph.D. in environmental science in civil engineering from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Prior to Purdue, he was an assistant professor of environmental engineering at the National University of Singapore.