主要从事合成生物学、分子生药学等前沿交叉学科研究，具体包括功能基因通量鉴定平台开发与应用、高效仿生合成细胞创建、亚细胞区室工程、产物转运工程、精确发酵体系创建等。目前以酿酒酵母为底盘微生物创建了系列高值天然产物（天然药物、中药和芳香精油等）的仿生合成细胞，其中KH617（I类抗癌新药原料）、“人参酵母”和“精油酵母”等产品系已实现技术转让。
代表论著
研究成果发表在 Metabolic Engineering, ACS Synthetic Biology, Green Chemistry, Biotechnology and Bioengineering等TOP学术期刊上，申请专利24项（含美国、欧盟、日本、香港专利各1项），参编《分子生药学》等专著5部。
1. Liping Xu, Dong Wang, Jing chen, Bo Li, Qingyan Li, Pingping Liu, Ying Qin, Changhao Bi, Zhubo Dai*, Feiyu Fan*, Xueli Zhang*, Metabolic engineering of Saccharomyces cerevisiae for gram-scale diosgenin production, Metabolic Engineering, 2022, 70：115–128
2. Rongsheng Li, Kou Wang, Dong Wang, Liping Xu, Yusong Shi, Zhubo Dai* and Xueli Zhang*, Production plant volatile terpenoids (Rose Oil) by yeast cell factories, Green Chemistry, 2021, 23: 5088-5096
3. Weixian Li, Xiaohui Ma, Guodong Li, Aili Zhang, Dong Wang, Feiyu Fan, Xiaolin Ma, Xueli zhang*, Zhubo Dai* and Zigang Qian*, De novo biosynthesis of the oleanane-type triterpenoids of tunicosaponins in yeast, ACS Synthetic Biology, 2021, 10(8): 1874–1881
4. Yusong Shi, Dong Wang, Rongsheng Li, Luqi Huang, Zhubo Dai* and Xueli Zhang*, Engineering yeast subcellular compartments for increased production of the lipophilic natural products ginsenosides, Metabolic Engineering, 2021, 67: 104-111
5. Dong Wang, Jinhe Wang, Yusong Shi, Rongsheng Li, Feiyu Fan, Yin Huang, Weixian Li, Ning Chen, Luqi Huang, Zhubo Dai* and Xueli Zhang*, Elucidation of the complete biosynthetic pathway of the main triterpene glycosylation products of Panax notoginseng using a synthetic biology platform, Metabolic Engineering, 2020, 61:131-140.
6. Zhubo Dai#, Yun Liu#, Zhoutong Sun#, Dong Wang, Ge Qu, Lili Zhang, Shoulian Li, Xiaolin Ma, Feiyu Fan, Xueli Zhang*, Identification of a novel cytochrome P450 enzyme that catalyzes the C-2α hydroxylation of pentacyclic triterpenoids and its application in yeast cell factories, Metabolic Engineering, 2019,51:70-78.
7. Jiajian Huang, Wenlong Zha, Tianyue An，Yin Huang, Dong Wang,Tianyue An, Hua Dong, Rongmin Yu, Lixin Duan, Xueli Zhang, Reuben J. Peters*, Zhubo Dai*, Jiachen Zi*. Identification of RoCYP01 (CYP716A155) enables construction of engineered yeast for high-yield production of betulinic acid, Applied Microbiology and Biotechnology, 2019, 103(17):7029-7039
8. 戴住波，王勇，周志华，李盛英，张学礼*，植物天然产物合成生物学研究，中国科学院院刊, 2018, 33(11):1228-1238.
9. 王冬, 刘怡, 许骄阳, 王金鹤, 戴住波*, 张学礼, 黄璐琦. 创建酿酒酵母细胞工厂高效生产人参皂苷前体达玛烯二醇II. 药学学报, 2018, 53(8): 1233-1241.
10. Zhubo Dai, Yi Liu, Juan Guo, Luqi Huang*, Xueli Zhang*, Yeast synthetic biology for high-value metabolites, FEMS Yeast Research, 2015,15:1-11
11. Zhubo Dai#, Beibei Wang#, Yi Liu, Mingyu Shi, Dong Wang, Xianan Zhang, Tao Liu, Luqi Huang*, Xueli Zhang*, Producing aglycons of ginsenosides in bakers' yeast, Scientific Reports, 2014, 4: 3698 2845~2853
12. Zhubo Dai#, Yi Liu #, Xianan Zhang, Dong Wang, Luqi Huang*, Xueli Zhang*, Metabolic engineering of Saccharomyces cerevisiae for production of ginsenosides, Metabolic Engineering, 2013, 20:146-156
13. Zhubo Dai#, Yi Liu#, Luqi Huang*, Xueli Zhang*, Production of miltiradiene by metabolically engineered Saccharomyces cerevisiae, Biotechnology and Bioengineering, 2012, 109(11):
14. Zhubo Dai, Guanghong Cui, Shufeng Zhou* , Xianan Zhang, Luqi Huang*, Cloning and characterization of a novel 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl coenzyme A reductase gene from Salvia miltiorrhiza involved in diterpenoid tanshinone accumulation, Journal of Plant Physiology, 2011, 168(2): 148~157
