Wei Zhang

Wei Zhang is an assistant professor of biology at the Illinois Institute of Technology at Chicago. He also holds a joint faculty appointment at the National Center for Food Safety and Technology, which brings together scientists and other experts from the Illinois Institute of Technology, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and the food industry.

Zhang's research focuses on food safety microbiology, bacterial stress response, genomics and pathogenesis. He has published in top scientific journals and has received international recognition for his research on the genomics of foodborne pathogens, which have led to better methods for tracking and controlling pathogens and identifying disease outbreaks. His federal research support has topped $3 million dollars since 2006.

A member of the American Society for Microbiology, Zhang has served on several review panels, including the National Research Council of the National Academies and the European Union's Transnational Funding and Research Initiative.

He has received numerous honors, such as the Developing Scientist Award from the International Association of Food Protection and a Postdoctoral Research Fellowship from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Zhang, who earned his doctorate in Food Science from Penn State in 2004, resides in Hinsdale with his wife, Lily, and son, Richard.