Dr. Zhang receives the PSA Early Achievement Award for Research

The Poultry Science Association named Dr. Li Zhang the recipient of its 2026 Early Achievement Award for Research, presented at the PSA Annual Meeting in Toronto.

The Poultry Science Association has recognized Dr. Li Zhang with its 2026 Early Achievement Award for Research, one of the association’s professional awards honoring early-career contributions to poultry science. PSA announced the 2026 recipients on July 7, and the awards were presented during the Awards Celebration at the PSA Annual Meeting in Toronto, Ontario, on July 12.

In its announcement, PSA highlighted the lab’s research program in agricultural microbiomics — combining microbial genomics, rapid diagnostics, microbiome science, and animal models to improve poultry health and food safety from farm to fork, with an emphasis on avian pathogenic E. coli, Campylobacter, Salmonella, and Clostridium perfringens. The citation also noted more than $3.2 million in research funding as PI and co-PI, over 60 peer-reviewed publications, service as a Section Editor for Poultry Science, and the mentoring of 14 graduate students and 6 postdoctoral researchers.

An award like this belongs to everyone who has worked in the lab. Thank you to our students and postdocs, past and present, and to our collaborators at Mississippi State, USDA ARS, and across the poultry industry.