Dr. CAO Zhixing (2016 PhD in Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering) has been named one of the 35 Innovators Under 35 Asia Pacific 2021 by MIT Technology Review. He was recognized for his contributions to “revealing cell biological mechanisms using mathematical modeling” in the biotechnology and medicine field. His work helps scientists gain groundbreaking insight into cancer therapeutics, vaccine development, drug discovery, and other complicated cytological issues.

Recently, he developed a gene expression analytical model with the most complete physiological details to date including cell growth and cell division, which allow the accurate revealing of the coupling mechanism of cellular physiology and gene expression.

Supervised by Prof. GAO Furong during his PhD studies, he devoted himself to solving the longstanding problem of process control to optimally regulate a production process in an uncertain and complex environment. At HKUST, he published several high impactful papers and received the Chemical and Biological Engineering Department’s Chan Tak Kei and Wong Kwai Ying Best Postgraduate Award in 2016. He is now a full Professor at the East China University of Science and Technology in Shanghai.

Established in 1999 as a list of 100 innovators (TR100), the Innovators Under 35 is an annual list that recognizes outstanding innovators who are younger than 35. The awards span a wide range of fields, including biotechnology, materials, computer hardware, energy, transportation, communications, and the Internet. The goal is to recognize the development of new technology or the creative application of existing technologies to solve problems.

To expand the search for the most promising innovators, regional editions of the list (Latin America, Europe, China, India, Asia Pacific, and MENA) were launched. The winners of the regional lists are automatically considered for the global list.

Related link:

• Introduction of Dr. Cao Zhixing on Innovators Under 35 Asia Pacific 2021 webpage