Dr. Zhou obtained his MD from Jiangxi Medical College in Nanchang, China. He joined University of Texas (UT) Houston Medical Center from University of Pittsburgh in 1998. He is a Professor in the Department of Internal Medicine. Dr. Zhou is an Editorial Board Member for six medical journals. He is the Editor-in-Chief of the Open Rheumatology Journal. He holds grants from the NIH-NIAMS, NIAID, Department of the Army, Medical Research Acquisition Activity and the Scleroderma Foundation.

His research interests include rheumatic diseases (e.g. systemic sclerosis, ankylosing spondylitis, arthritis, etc.), clinical application of immunology and genetics.