Professor Zhibing Zhang BEng MSc PhD DSc CEng FIChemE FREng FEurASc is Leader of Micromanipulation and Microencapsulation Research Group, and Co-Director of the China Institute at the University of Birmingham, UK. Moreover, he is Director of Microforce Measurement Ltd UK, Vice President of World Bioprotection Forum, Member of Sino-British Engineering Technology Cooperation Steering Committee, Assessor of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Member of the Editorial Board of Journal of Microencapsulation, member of the International Advisory Board of Particuology, and Associate Editor of a new journal Health Engineering, and Member of EPSRC Peer Review College & Engineering Panel.

He earned his BEng in Chemical Engineering from Hefei University of Technology, China in 1982, MSc and PhD in Chemical Engineering from East China University of Science and Technology, Shanghai in 1985 and 1988 respectively, and moved to the University of Birmingham, UK in 1989.

His research has primarily focused on chemical product/formulation engineering and particle technology. He is widely recognized for developing an innovative micromanipulation technique for charactering both biological and non-biological particle mechanics. Utilising his unique skills, he has led novel research on encapsulating active ingredients for developing functional particulate products across diverse fields such as pharmaceuticals, nutraceuticals, agrochemicals, human care, and fabric care. He has collaborated with > 50 international and national companies, and his research has contributed to commercialisation of a number of functional products which are sold worldwide.

He has published >210 peer reviewed papers and > 280 other publications including book chapters, conference papers and patents, and given numerous plenary, keynote and invited lectures at international/national conferences, academic institutions and companies. He is a Finalist of the IChemE Global Awards 2014 in the category of Innovative Product, and Winner of the World Biopesticides Summit Award 2019 in the category of “Best Industrial Collaboration”. He was elected as Fellow of the Royal Academy of Engineering (FREng), UK in 2018 and has recently been elected as Fellow of the European Academy of Sciences (FEurASc).