Zhanguo is an expert in integrated soil, land, and water management. He specialises in assessing soil/land degradation and conservation using GIS, remote sensing, and environmental tracers.

Zhangou has been actively involved in the development of the World Overview of Conservation Approaches and Technology (WOCAT), which is a global network of knowledge and database dedicated to sustainable land management (SLM).

Throughout his career, Zhangou has taken up various projects and initiatives related to land conservation and management. Some of the notable projects he was responsible for include the GEF/UNEP/FAO project Global Assessment of Land Degradation and Improvement (GLADA), the World Bank-funded project Land Degradation & Risk Mapping in Turkey (TULADA), the Netherlands PvW-funded project Green Water Management & Credits for China (GWC-China) and the IFAD-funded project Green Water Credits in Kenya(GWC-Kenya).

He has also worked on other projects such as the EU FP-7 project Desertification Mitigation and Remediation of Land (DESIRE), EU FP-7 project Preventing and Remediating Degradation of Soils in Europe through Land Care (RECARE), EU Horizon2020 project Interactive Soil Quality Assessment in Europe and China for Agricultural Productivity and Environmental Resilience (iSQAPER), World Bank-funded project Land Use Planning for Enhanced Resilience of Landscapes for Madagascar (LAUREL) and EU project Chittagong Hill Tracts Improved Natural Resources Management, Bangladesh (CHARM). He has also contributed to the Netherlands Environmental Assessment Agency (PBL) project Biodiversity, Ecosystem Services and Development to map global soil degradation.

Zhanguo has published 56 peer-reviewed papers, 7 book chapters, 5 reviewed abstracts in proceedings, and 23 technical reports.