Dr Zhang's research interests lie in:

CO2 utilization

electroactive materials

electrocatalytic activation of molecules

materials and device innovation

Dr Zhang completed his bachelor’s and master’s degrees in chemistry at Nankai University of China. He gained his PhD in Chemistry in 2019 from Monash University, where he won the Australian Nanotechnology Network Early Career Researcher Award for his research on the catalyst design for electrocatalytic CO2 reduction. 

After his PhD study, Dr. Zhang moved to Germany to complete postdoctoral research at the University of Muenster under the support of the Humboldt foundation, where he focused on developing catalysts and systems for the hydrogenation of unsaturated organic molecules.

Dr. Zhang joined Shenzhen Institute of Advanced Technology as an associate professor and independent investigator since February 2022.

Dr Zhang has published more than 40 research articles in top-tier journals including Science, Nature Synthesis, Angewandte Chemie, Energy&Environmental Science, Advanced Energy Materials, et al. He has been granted 4 Chinese patent and 1 international patent.

Dr. Zhang's work uses electricity from renewable sources such as solar, wind and hydro to transform waste carbon dioxide, together with water, into economically valuable chemicals and fuels that can replace fossil resources.

His group has got very generous funding (over 40 million RMB in total) from NSFC, SIAT, as well as the China Merchants Group.