Photo courtesy of the WashU Department of Genetics

Professor Guoyan Zhao, an associate professor in the Departments of Genetics and Neurology at the WashU School of Medicine, died on May 15, 2026. She was 54 years old.

Zhao earned her bachelor’s degree from Peking University in Beijing, China, in 1995. She immigrated to the U.S. with her husband after completing her master’s in 1998 and later earned her PhD in molecular cell biology from WashU. In 2018, she established her own laboratory in the Department of Neuroscience, where she studied how to treat neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer’s. In 2025, she was granted tenured professorship — fulfilling a lifelong dream.

Zhao is remembered by her colleagues as a brilliant, dedicated scientist as well as a deeply caring mentor and friend. 

Huifangjie Farsad, a Senior Scientist at WashU School of Medicine and alumnus of Zhao’s lab, described her as “the sun,” saying she was “always [there] to warm everybody.”

Zhao mentored researchers from all over the world in her lab. No matter their backgrounds, she welcomed and supported them. Her colleagues admired her ability to advise the diverse members of her large, productive lab and how deeply she understood each of their projects. 

“She [had] eight, nine employees, so literally she [would] follow up [with] them one by one,” Farsad said. “I cannot imagine how she [had] extra time to do this work.”

Farsad said her relationship with Zhao started out rocky before they became very close. 

“Some people, you annoy each other at the beginning,” Farsad said, laughing a little at the memory. “[But] right now it’s just like, oh my gosh, bestie … it’s my bestie.” 

“The more we [knew] each other, just like, ‘oh my gosh, this professor, her personality, her philosophy, it’s just like me,’” Farsad added. 

Zhao helped mentees in their careers, encouraging them to apply for grants to fund their research.  

“She’s not going to leave you alone,” remembered Ibrahim Saliu, a Postdoctoral Researcher in Zhao’s lab. “She’s going to walk with you on that road until that application is sent out.”

Saliu remembers Zhao was always patient with answering his questions, even simple ones. When she didn’t know the answer, she would suggest ways they could find out. 

When Farsad needed career advice, she went to Zhao. Zhao talked about her own professional journey and how she found what she was passionate about despite the struggle. She assured Farsad that she would find her path as well. 

Zhao took a deep interest in the work of her colleagues. Larissa Thackray, a professor of medicine at the School of Medicine, first became friends with Zhao while working in the same lab over 14 years ago. Thackray remembers Zhao would always ask about her current projects. 

“She was a great scientist, but she was also just a great human being as well, and I will miss that,” Thackray said. 

Thackray remembers how much it meant to Zhao to receive tenure in 2025. The achievement was especially impressive because she did not start on the tenure track. 

“That was something that she had been fighting for, for years, I mean decades in a way,” Thackray said. “That was something that was a huge milestone in her life. We were super happy for her.”

Zhao was always available to talk, whether the subject was work or life. During the COVID-19 pandemic, she and Thackray set up monthly Zoom meetings to discuss their current projects as well as swap stories about their children. Saliu said he spoke with her almost every day, including weekends. Farsad said her conversations with Zhao usually lasted hours.

“I don’t know how to describe that feeling. You just feel there’s always someone beside you,” Farsad said. 

Saliu hopes to carry on Zhao’s legacy when he has his own lab.

“The way she mentors, that is the way I would like to mentor. The way she cares about her mentees, that’s [the] way I want to also care about my mentees,” he said.

Zhao is survived by her husband, Liangwu Xu; her children, Jason Xu and Sophia Xu; her brothers, Yanhai Zhao and Yanfang Zhao; and her parents, Shanxue Zhao and Fengyun Liu. 

A memorial service was held at Kriegshauser Mortuary-West Chapel on June 7.