王风平教授主要聚焦深部生物圈，以深部生命（微生物）的生物地球化学功能为研究核心和突破点，取得一系列成果包括：
1）发现并命名一个新的古菌门——“深古菌”门(Bathyarchaeota)；同时在深古菌中发现了细菌叶绿素 a 合成酶，芳香化合物降解酶基因并验证功能，引发了对光合作用基因起源、演化的再思考，推动了对深部古菌生态/地球化学功能的研究；
2）发现深古菌是海洋中新的未知“木质素降解者”，为深入理解海洋碳循环机制和古菌功能打开了新的窗口；
3）解析了海底厌氧甲烷氧化和生物成矿的分子机制，发现了全新的烷烃代谢古菌类群，发现了新的烷烃代谢古菌和多样的电子传递途径，丰富了对海底烷烃的生物地球化学过程的认识；
4）发现深海生态系统的动态演化和丰富的代谢活动，揭示深部微生物在 N/S，Fe 等重要元素生物地球化学循环中的驱动机制。

研究领域：深部生物圈，微生物地球化学循环

近五年承担了国家自然科学基金委员会重点项目“典型海洋沉积环境微生物碳代谢功能、通量与规模的比较研究”；中国科学院“科学”号高端用户项目“深海海底生物介导的地球化学元素循环及其环境效应研究”；国家自然科学基金重大研究计划重点支持项目 “海洋沉积物中古菌介导的碳循环机制研究”；国家自然科学基金杰出青年基金“深部生物圈生物地球化学功能研究”；国家自然科学基金中-以国际合作项目“海洋沉积物深层微生物介导的铁还原作用研究”；国家科技部重点研发计划“海洋沉积的碳氮硫效应和储碳机制”，以及科技部重大专项、大洋协会项目等，累积项目经费超过2000万。

参加国际航次：
August 2006. Gulf of Mexico Gas Hydrates. R/V Seaward Johnson II and Johnson Sea-Link Submersible
November 2009. Guaymas Cruise. R/V Atlantis and Alvin submersible
September to November 2011. IODP North Pond Expedition. R/V Joides Resolution
November 2014. East Pacific Rise. R/V Atlantis and Alvin submersible

王风平教授已发表高水平SCI论文90余篇，论文发表在PNAS、The ISME Journal、Nature Microbiology等顶级期刊，论文入选ESI高被引论文。

代表论文：
Xie, R., Wang, Y., Huang, D., Hou, J., Li, L., Hu, H., ... & Wang, F.* (2022). Expanding Asgard members in the domain of Archaea sheds new light on the origin of eukaryotes. Science China Life Sciences, 65(4), 818-829.
Hou, J., Sievert, S. M., Wang, Y., Seewald, J. S., Natarajan, V. P., Wang, F.*, & Xiao, X.* (2020). Microbial succession during the transition from active to inactive stages of deep-sea hydrothermal vent sulfide chimneys. Microbiome, 8(1), 1-18.
Zhuang, G. C., Xu, L., Liang, Q., Fan, X., Xia, Z., Joye, S. B., & Wang, F. * (2019). Biogeochemistry, microbial activity, and diversity in surface and subsurface deep‐sea sediments of South China Sea. Limnology and Oceanography, 64(5), 2252-2270.
Wang, Y., Wegener, G., Hou, J., Wang, F.,* & Xiao, X.* (2019). Expanding anaerobic alkane metabolism in the domain of Archaea. Nature microbiology, 4(4), 595-602.
Yu, T., Wu, W., Liang, W., Lever, M. A., Hinrichs, K. U., & Wang, F. *  (2018). Growth of sedimentary Bathyarchaeota on lignin as an energy source. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 115(23), 6022-6027.
Niu, M., Fan, X., Zhuang, G., Liang, Q., & Wang, F. * (2017). Methane-metabolizing microbial communities in sediments of the Haima cold seep area, northwest slope of the South China Sea. FEMS Microbiology Ecology, 93(9).
He, Y., Li, M., Perumal, V., Feng, X., Fang, J., Xie, J., ... & Wang, F. * (2016). Genomic and enzymatic evidence for acetogenesis among multiple lineages of the archaeal phylum Bathyarchaeota widespread in marine sediments. Nature microbiology, 1(6), 1-9.
Wang, F. P.*, Zhang, Y., Chen, Y., He, Y., Qi, J., Hinrichs, K. U., ... & Boon, N. (2014). Methanotrophic archaea possessing diverging methane-oxidizing and electron-transporting pathways. The ISME journal, 8(5), 1069-1078.
Meng, J., Xu, J., Qin, D., He, Y., Xiao, X., & Wang, F.* (2014). Genetic and functional properties of uncultivated MCG archaea assessed by metagenome and gene expression analyses. The ISME journal, 8(3), 650-659.
Xie, W., Wang, F. (co-first author), Guo, L., Chen, Z., Sievert, S. M., Meng, J., ... & Xu, A. (2011). Comparative metagenomics of microbial communities inhabiting deep-sea hydrothermal vent chimneys with contrasting chemistries. The ISME journal, 5(3), 414-426.
Chen, Y., Wang, F.(co-first author), Xu, J., Mehmood, M. A., & Xiao, X. (2011). Physiological and evolutionary studies of NAP systems in Shewanella piezotolerans WP3. The ISME journal, 5(5), 843-855.
Wang, S., Xiao, X., Jiang, L., Peng, X., Zhou, H., Meng, J., & Wang, F. * (2009). Diversity and abundance of ammonia-oxidizing archaea in hydrothermal vent chimneys of the Juan de Fuca Ridge. Applied and Environmental Microbiology, 75(12), 4216-4220.
Wang, F., Zhou, H., Meng, J., Peng, X., Jiang, L., Sun, P., ... & Xiao, X. (2009). GeoChip-based analysis of metabolic diversity of microbial communities at the Juan de Fuca Ridge hydrothermal vent. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 106(12), 4840-4845.
Meng, J., Wang, F. (co-first author), Wang, F., Zheng, Y., Peng, X., Zhou, H., & Xiao, X. (2009). An uncultivated crenarchaeota contains functional bacteriochlorophyll a synthase. The ISME journal, 3(1), 106-116.