Dr Dongda Zhang, The University of Manchester / Unilever

Industrial Fellowships 2024

Dr Dongda Zhang is a lecturer at the Department of Chemical Engineering, University of Manchester. He holds a BSc degree from Tianjin University and MSc degree from Imperial College London. He started his PhD research at the University of Cambridge in 2013, completed his research within two years, and graduated at the beginning of the third year after gaining university special approval for thesis early submission. In 2017, he was awarded a Leverhulme Early Career Fellowship, followed by his current appointment at the University of Manchester in 2018.  

His research group focuses on digital chemical engineering, with primary interests in exploring how advanced 'digital technologies' can accelerate novel chemical and biochemical process development and automate industrial process manufacturing. This project will develop a modularised virtual production line using advanced AI techniques for quality control, knowledge transfer, waste reduction, and equipment characterisation. 

Dr Zhang is currently an associate editor for Digital Chemical Engineering, a member of the editorial board of Biochemical Engineering Journal, a member of BBSRC pool of experts for Bioprocess Systems Engineering, and a member of the Industrial Management Board, Centre for Process Analytics and Control Technology (CPACT).  

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Personal website: https://research.manchester.ac.uk/en/persons/dongda.zhang