近年來以深部生物圈極端微生物為研究對象，綜合利用傳統(tǒng)和現(xiàn)代微生物技術(shù)，結(jié)合基因組學(xué)和生物地球化學(xué)方法來探尋深部極端微生物適應(yīng)性機理、關(guān)鍵代謝途徑起源和極端生態(tài)系統(tǒng)演替等基礎(chǔ)科學(xué)問題。近5年共發(fā)表SCI收錄論文27篇，其中第一及通訊作者論文20篇，應(yīng)邀在國際會議上報告6次。2008年獲得中國青年女科學(xué)家獎提名獎。承擔(dān)國家自然科學(xué)基金4項，海洋“863”項目2項，大洋項目2項。

主要的研究工作包括：

1、分離培養(yǎng)出深海嗜壓希瓦氏菌WP3并測定分析了其基因組全序列，揭示了WP3環(huán)境適應(yīng)的重要分子機制如利用大量重復(fù)基因保障呼吸途徑靈活多樣；具有分別受溫壓調(diào)控的雙鞭毛系統(tǒng)等。分離出唯一報道的受低溫誘導(dǎo)的噬菌體并發(fā)現(xiàn)其具有新的誘導(dǎo)途徑。這是國際上第二例對深海嗜壓菌的系統(tǒng)研究并使之成為了重要的深海模式細菌。

2、揭示了深海熱液口微生物群體代謝形式極大的豐富性、多樣性和快速演替過程，將人們對深部生物圈的認識從種群組成水平拓展到群體代謝和基因組水平。

3、對深部生物圈中一大類尚未培養(yǎng)的泉古菌MCG開展系統(tǒng)研究，從中發(fā)現(xiàn)了與古菌16SrDNA連鎖的具有功能的細菌葉綠素合成關(guān)鍵基因bchG，發(fā)現(xiàn)其較細菌bchG更加古老，該研究引發(fā)了古菌是否參與了光合作用起源進化過程的討論，得到國際同行的廣泛關(guān)注。

1 Feng Wang, Xiang Xiao, Hong-YU Ou, Yingbao Gai, and Fengping Wang* The role and regulation of fatty acid biosynthesis in Shewanella piezotolerans WP3 response to different temperature and pressure. J Bacteriol. 2009 Apr; 191(8):2574-84

2 Fengping Wang, Yinbao Gai, Xiang Xiao* Arthrobacter psychrochitiniphilus sp. nov., a novel psychrotrophic bacterium isolated from Antarctica. IJSEM 2009 Jul 22. [Epub ahead of print]

3 Fengping Wang, Huaiyang Zhou, Jun Meng, Xiaotong Peng, Lijing Jiang, Ping Sun, Chuanlun Zhang, Joy D. Van Nostrandu2016, Ye Deng, Zhili He, Liyou Wu, Jizhong Zhou&, and Xiang Xiao&GeoChip-based Analysis of Metabolic Diversity of Microbial Communities at the Juan de Fuca Ridge Hydrothermal Vent. PNAS 2009 Mar 24; 106(12):4840-5.

4 Meng J, Wang FP(co-first author), Wang F, Zheng Y, Peng X, Zhou H, Xiao X. An uncultivated crenarchaeota contains functional bacteriochlorophyll a synthase. ISME J. 2009 Jan;3(1):106-16. Epub 2008 Oct 2.

5 Fengping Wang, Jianbin Wang, Shengkang Li, Xiang Zeng, Douglas Hoyt Bartlett, Songnian Hu, Xiang Xiao (corresponding author) Genome sequence and expression analysis of Shewanella piezotolerans WP3, a piezotolerant and psychrotolerant deep-sea iron reducing bacterium PLoS ONE. 2008 Apr 9; 3(4):e1937.

6 Li S, Xiao X, Sun P, Wang FP Screening of genes regulated by cold shock in Shewanella piezotolerans WP3 and time course expression of cold-regulated genes. Arch Microbiol. 2008 Jun; 189(6):549-56. Epub 2008 Jan 10.

7 Xu MX, Xiao X，Wang FP Isolation and characterization of alkane hydroxylases from a metagenomic library of Pacific deep-sea sediment. Extremophiles. 2008 Mar; 12 (2):255-262.

8 Xu MX, Wang FP(co-first author), Xiao X(corresponding author) Construction and preliminary analysis of a metagenomic library from a deep sea sediment of east pacific nodule province. FEMS Microbial Ecology 2007 Dec; 62(3):233-41

9 Wang F, Wang FP(co-first author), Li Q, Xiao X (corresponding author) A novel filamentous phage from a deep sea bacterium Shewanella piezotolorans WP3 is induced at low temperature. JB 2007 Oct; 189(19):7151-3

10 Xiao X , Wang P, Zeng X, Bartlett DH, Wang FP Shewanella psychrophila sp. nov., Shewanella piezotolerans sp. nov., two new Shewanella species from west Pacific deep-sea sediment IJSEM 2007 57：60-65

11 Li Q, Xiao X(Co-first author), Wang FP(corresponding author). Screening of genes involved in chitinase production in Aeromonas caviae CB101 via transposon mutagenesis. 2007 J Appl Microbiol Mar, 102(3):640-649

12 Li SK, Xiao X (Co-first author), Yin XB, and Wang FP. Bacterial community along a historic lake sediment core of Ardley Island, west Antarctica Extremophiles 2006 10（5）：461-467

13 Wu LN, Lin XM, Wang FP, Ye DZ, Xiao X, Wang SY, Peng XX OmpW and OmpV are required for NaCl regulation in Photobacterium damsela J Proteome Res. 2006 Sep 5(9)2250-2257

14 Xiao X, Yin XB, Lin J, Sun LG, You ZY, Wang P, and Wang FP. Chitinase genes in the lake sediments of Ardeley Island, Antarctica. Appl Environ Microbiol 2005, 71: 7904-7909

15 Li Q, Wang FP, Xiao X* . The exposed aromatic and hydroxyl residues on the surface of the N-terminal domains of Chi1 from Aeromonas caviae CB101 are essential for chitin binding and hydrolysis. Appl Environ Microbiol 2005, 71: 7559-7561

*Correspondingauthor(s)。