Dr. Zhang Hongjie is a talented and productive scholar with a high standing in the field of natural product chemistry. Since joining the University in December of 2011, Dr. Zhang has been tireless in his efforts to conduct high impact research with his well-led and motivated teams while at the same time proactively soliciting grants to fund his research.
Dr. Zhang focuses his research on drug discovery from natural products and the development of botanical dietary supplements from herbal medicines. Imbued with a huge intellectual curiosity, he is passionate about research and is single-minded in his determination to unveil the secrets and mysteries of herbs with the ultimate aim of making discoveries to benefit humankind.
The capability and maturity of Dr. Zhang as a researcher are demonstrated by his remarkable track record of research achievements and his continued success in securing competitive external grants. As Principal Investigator he has secured eight grants totalling HK$6.27 million from the Research Grants Council and other funding schemes. In the past five years, he has published in 23 journals indexed in the Journal of Citation Reports with an impact factor of 76.481 in 2015. His publications have been cited 2,764 times and he boasts an H-index of 32. In addition, he has since 2012 filed 12 patent applications and has been awarded seven patents from the US, Taiwan, Europe and China.
As a highly reputed expert in natural products chemistry, Dr. Zhang has sat on the editorial boards of Natural Products and Bioprospecting and the International Journal of Traditional and Complementary Medicine. He was also invited to present his achievements and findings in the American Society of Pharmacognosy Newsletter. Dr. Zhang never misses an opportunity to attend important international conferences to share his expertise, and he is frequently sought after by local, mainland China and overseas universities to deliver seminars on drug discovery based on plant compounds.
Dr. Zhang has also shown an outstanding ability to lead and motivate his research teams. A highly disciplined and diligent researcher who spends long hours on and takes delight in research, he is a perfect role model to inspire his teams in the pursuit of a lifelong career that produces impactful results.
Dr. Zhang’s researches have also drawn the attention of the industry. In 2013 and 2014, the University has signed a Materials Transfer Agreement respectively with two leading multinational pharmaceutical corporations which are based in Germany and the US to evaluate the anticancer properties of several potent natural compounds discovered by Dr. Zhang.
The Selection Committee finds Dr. Zhang’s innovative research work and untiring efforts in opening up new research areas vastly admirable and recommends him for the President’s Award for Outstanding Performance in Scholarly Work.
