Profile

Biography

Wei Zhang is a native of Yichun City, Jiangxi Province, China, and holds a Ph.D. in Chemistry. He is a Professor at the School of Metallurgy and Environment, Central South University, working in the team of Professor Yanqing Lai, Dean of the School. He is also a core member of the National Energy Metal Resources and New Materials Key Laboratory, the Engineering Research Center of Advanced Battery Materials of the Ministry of Education, and  Hunan Provincial Key Laboratory of Nonferrous Value-Added Metallurgy.

Prof. Zhang was selected for the Hunan Provincial “Furong Program” for Overseas High-Level Young Talents. He is also a JSPS Fellow and a Member of the Royal Society of Chemistry (MRSC). He received his Ph.D. from University College London (UCL), under the supervision of Professor Ivan P. Parkin (MAE) and Professor Guanjie He. He was previously a visiting scholar at Tsinghua University in the research group of Professor Guangmin Zhou. He subsequently conducted postdoctoral research at UCL, the University of Tokyo, Japan, under the supervision of Professor Atsuo Yamada, and the University of California San Diego (UCSD), USA, under the supervision of Professor Ping Liu.

His research focuses on key materials and electrochemistry for advanced energy-storage batteries. His work covers the development of high-performance electrode materials, regulation of electrolyte–interface structures, and electrode process kinetics, including sodium/lithium-ion batteries and aqueous zinc/iron/aluminum batteries. He conducts both fundamental research and industry–academia collaborative research in these areas.

Prof. Zhang has led one UK STFC project, one JSPS project, one Hunan Provincial Overseas High-Level Young Talent Recruitment Project, and one Central South University start-up research project. His publications have received over 5,400 citations, with an H-index of 41 and 14 ESI Highly Cited Papers. As first/co-first author and/or corresponding/co-corresponding author, he has published 28 papers in journals including Science Advances, Journal of the American Chemical Society, Angewandte Chemie International Edition (5 papers), Energy & Environmental Science (3 papers), Science Bulletin, Materials Today, Advanced Energy Materials (4 papers), Advanced Functional Materials, and Chemical Science (2 papers).

He has received several honors and awards, including the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science Fellowship (2024), the IETI Young Researchers / PhD Scholar Award (2023), the UK Science and Technology Facilities Council Early Career Research Award (2023), the Chinese Society of Chemical Science and Technology in the UK Emerging Investigator Award (2023), the Hunan Provincial Excellent Master's Thesis Award (2023), the Central South University Excellent Master's Thesis Award (2023), the China Nonferrous Metals Society Excellent Master's Thesis Award (2021), the UCL Dean's Prize (2021), and the National Scholarship for Graduate Students (2020).

Prof. Zhang serves as an invited associate editor for Science Bulletin, a guest editor for Microstructures, and a young editorial board member of journals including Science Bulletin, eScience, and Chinese Chemical Letters, etc. He also serves as a reviewer for journals such as Nature Communications, JACS, Angewandte Chemie International Edition, and Advanced Materials, etc. Under his guidance, a UCSD student won the 2026 American Institute of Chemical Engineers Research Poster Competition Award.

Google Scholar Homepage: https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=RPk7wb4AAAAJ&hl=en

Prof. Zhang has established strong collaborations with leading universities and research institutions in the United States, the United Kingdom, Japan, Singapore, Australia, South Korea, and other countries. The team offers opportunities for study visits and academic exchange with renowned overseas research groups. Undergraduate students, master's students, direct-entry Ph.D. students, doctoral students, and postdoctoral researchers are warmly welcome to join the Electrode Materials and Electrode Processes team, led by Professor Yanqing Lai, Dean of the School of Metallurgy and Environment. Jointly supervised students are also welcome.

Research Interests

1. Development of high-performance electrode materials, regulation of electrolyte–interface structures, investigation of electrode process kinetics, and construction of advanced battery systems

2. Anode-free metal battery technologies

3. Battery structure design and failure-mechanism analysis for extreme operating environments, such as high/low temperatures, high voltage, fast charging, and external fields

4. Exploration of “AI for Science” applications in battery materials and battery technologies

Contact

Postal Code: 410083
Office Address: Room 415, Metallurgy Building, Main Campus, Central South University
Email: wez088@csu.edu.cn