Wei Zhang 张卫

Professor Wei Zhang is a globally recognised leader with research and teaching expertise in industrial and marine biotechnology. He completed his PhD in Biochemical Engineering (1994) from the Dalian Institute of Chemical Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences. He has postdoctoral experience at the University of Tokyo, Adelaide University and Cambridge University.

As a visionary leader, in 2000, he recognised the economic and social value of Australia’s unique yet under-explored marine bioresources. In 2009, he founded the Centre for Marine Bioproducts Development, the first in the Southern Hemisphere, to pioneer translational research to establish the new marine bio-industry in Australia. He promotes the environmentally friendly use of marine bioresources and excellence in science and biotechnology to solve real-world problems and grow the next generation of sustainable ocean wealth for industry, economy and job growth. His vision to grow, promote and connect the formerly disparate marine bioproducts research and industry sectors locally and nationally led him to steer the formation of the Australia-New Zealand Marine Biotech Society. He became its inaugural president, founder and chair of the Marine Biotech Subcommittee, Australia National Marine Science Committee. He served as the Bid CEO and Research Director for the first-ever Australian Marine Bioproducts Cooperative Research Centre (MB-CRC), securing 68 partners and 10 years of funding of $270m.

He has developed a range of new platforms and innovative science and industry engagement models, including joint laboratories linking multiple government agencies, institutions and industry partners. These models have broadly benefited the three South Australian Universities and the South Australian Health and Medical Institute and cumulated in the recent success of the Marine Bioproducts Cooperative Research Centre. He has driven many national and international partnerships across governments, universities, industries, professional societies, and communities, demonstrated by securing national and international grants of over A$50 million and generating an estimated $200 million in economic value and over $1 billion investment to industry partners over the last 15 years. He won the South Australia Young Tall Poppy Science Award (2008), the Taishan Blue Economy Leading Scholar Award (2014), the Convention Adelaide Award (2016), Finalist of Australian Eureka Prizes for Leadership in Science and Innovation (2022), and the South Australian Excellence in Science and Industry Collaboration Award (2022).

He is an internationally recognised scientific leader in his field with highly accomplished entrepreneurial skills to drive translational and transformational research toward industry outcomes and impacts. He serves as President of the Asia-Pacific Marine Biotechnology Society and a Board Member of the International Marine Biotechnology Society.