Professor Wei Zhang

Matthew Flinders Distinguished Professor

College of Medicine and Public Health

+61 8 72218557
place Health Sciences (4.21)
GPO Box 2100, Adelaide 5001, South Australia

Prof WEI ZHANG, a Biochemical Engineer since 1989, is a globally recognized leader with research and teaching expertise in industry and marine biotechnology. He is a pioneer and the R&D leader in driving the establishment of Australian third-generation marine bioproducts industry.

He obtained his PhD from Dalian Institute of Chemical Physics, CAS in 1994, and did his Postdocs at University of Tokyo, Adelaide University and Cambridge University. He joined Flinders University in 1998. Since 2000, he has secured many national and international grants over A$50 million, culminated at $270m Marine Bioproduct Cooperative Research Centre (MBCRC) grant as Bid Lead. He founded Centre for Marine Bioproducts Development and became its inaugural Director in 2009. He has published 280+ refereed Journal papers, eight Journal special issues, two edited books. He is an editorial member of four Journals- Marine Biotechnology, Journal of Applied Phycology, Marine Life Science and Technology, Biofuels; and Specialty-Chief Editor for Frontiers in Marine Science (Marine Biotechnology and Bioproducts). He is Editor of Springer-Nature Book Series “Advances in Marine Bioprocesses and Bioproducts”. He has organised and chaired 30+ international conferences and sessions. He won several important awards including "South Australia Young Tall Poppy Science Award" in 2008, and “Finalist of Australian Eureka Prizes for Leadership in Science and Innovation” in 2022. He is the Inaugural President of Australia-New Zealand Marine Biotechnology Society, and Chair of Marine Biotechnology Subcommittee, Australia National Marine Science Committee. He serves as Board member for Asia-Pacific Marine Biotechnology Society, and BioMarine. He has driven many national and international partnerships across governments, universities, industries, professional societies and communities. He has highly accomplished entrepreneurial skills to drive translational research toward industry outcomes and impacts. He is currently Research Director of MBCRC, an Australian national research for industry flagship to drive innovation for growing Australian third-generation high-value marine bioproducts industry.

Qualifications
B.E. Chemical Engineering (Dalian University of Technology, China), 1989
Ph.D. Biochemical Engineering (Dalian Institues of Chemical Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, China), 1994
Honours, awards and grants

2022 Fellow, Australian Academy of Technological Science and Engineering

2022 South Australia Science and Industry Collaboration Award

2022 Finalist, Australian Eureka Prizes for Leadership in Science and Innovation

2022/2023 Otto Mønsted Visiting Professor, Danish University of Technology, Denmark.

2022 Matthew Flinders Distinguished Professor

2021 Marine Bioproducts Cooperative Research Centre (Bid Lead, $270m grant for 10 years)

2021 Finalist, South Australia Science and Industry Collaboration Award

2016 Convention Adelaide Award

2008 South Australia Young Tall Poppy Science Awards

2000/01 Visiting Professorship at Kyushu University, Japan

2000 Visiting Professorship at Cornell University, USA

2000 Adjunct Professorship at Dalian Insititute of Chemical Physics, CAS, China

2000 K.C. Wong Research Award, Hong-Kong, China

1999 Flinders Technologies Fellowship to visit University of Cambridge, UK

1997/99 ARC Fellowship to work in University of Adelaide and Flinders Uni, Australia

1996/97 Monbusho High-Tech Fellowship to work in University of Tokyo, Japan

1995 First-Class Paper Award of Satellite Symposium, Chinese Association of Sceince and Technology, China

1994 Presidential Scholarship of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, China

1993 Presidential Scholarship of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, China

Key responsibilities

Chief Science Advisor, Marine Bioproducts Cooperative Research Centre, Australia

President, Asia-Pacific Society of Marine Biotechnology

Inaugural Research Director, Marine Bioproducts Cooperative Research Centre, Australia

Matthew Flinders Distinguished Professor in Industry and Marine Biotechnology

Founding Director, Centre for Marine Bioproducts Development (CMBD)
College of Medicine and Public Health, Flinders University

Inaugural President, Australia New Zealand Marine Biotechnology Society

Chair, Marine Biotechnology Subcommittee, Australia National Marine Science Committee

Specialty Chief Editor, Frontiers in Marine Science (Marine Biotechnology and Bioproducts)

Series Editor: Advances in Marine Bioprocesses and Bioproducts (Springer-Nature)

Teaching interests
Prof Zhang teaches University students on how the modern pharmaceutical and biotechnology industries develop and design the production process for making drugs, nutritional materials, and biological products from bacteria, plants, and animals of both terrestrial and marine origin. His main teaching interests are:

Bioprocessing and Industrial Biotechnology
Industrial and Pharmaceutical Biotechnology
Biofuels and Biorefinery
Marine Biotechnology
Biotechnology and Community
Enterprise Management in Biotechnology
Topic coordinator
BTEC3003 Industrial and Pharmaceutical Biotechnology
BTEC9008 Industrial and Pharmaceutical Biotechnology GE
BTEC3005 Integrating Biotechnology
BTEC8007 Protein Biotechnology
Topic lecturer
BTEC2001 Biotechnology: From Bench to Community
BTEC4001 Biobusiness
BTEC9001 Biobusiness GE
BTEC9006 Professional Skills in Biotechnology
BTEC9640 Masters Research Project in Biotechnology (Medicine)
BTEC1001 Introduction to Biotechnology
BTEC9000 Biotechnology Research Project (Medicine)
Supervisory interests
Bioactive foods
Biomass biorefinery, bioproducts development
Biomaterials
Bioprocess technology
Cell culture
Industrial biotechnology
Marine bioproducts engineering
Marine biotechnology
Marine microbiology
Pharmaceutical biotechnology and natural product drug discovery
Higher degree by research supervision
Current
Principal supervisor: Marine biotechology (7)
Associate supervisor: Marine biotechology (3)
Completion
Principal supervisor: Marine biotechology (2)
Associate supervisor: Marine biotechology (6)
Higher degree by research student achievements
Qi Yang

2017 Vice Chancellor’s Prize for Doctoral Thesis Excellence - MAY 2018

Suvimol Charoensiddhi

2017 Vice Chancellor’s Prize for Doctoral Thesis Excellence - MAY 2018

Xuan Luo

BioSA Prize - MAY 2013

Expert for media contact
Alternative medicine
Biodiversity
Biotechnology
China
Education - Science
Fermentation technology
Marine science
Pharmaceuticals
Waste treatment
Water resources
Biofuels and Biorefinery
Industrial Biotechnology
Marine Biotechnology
Pharmaceutical Biotechnology
Available for contact via
+61 8 72218557
Or contact the media team
+61 8 82012092
0427 398 713
Media expertise
  • Alternative medicine
  • Biodiversity
  • Biotechnology
  • China
  • Education - Science
  • Fermentation technology
  • Marine science
  • Pharmaceuticals
  • Waste treatment
  • Water resources
Interests
  • Biofuels and Biorefinery
  • Industrial Biotechnology
  • Marine Biotechnology
  • Pharmaceutical Biotechnology
Further information

You can find out the news story on our research at: Centre for Marine Bioproducts Development - News & Resources