Dr Meng Zhang

Professor

Department: Applied Sciences

Dr Meng Zhang is an Associate Professor in the Department of Applied Scinece. She studied BSc in Biotechnology at ShanDong Agriculture University, which included a half year research project at Shandong Academy of Agricultural Science. Meng came to England and study for a master’s degree in Health, Environment and Development at Sunderland University between 2001 and 2002. She was then rewarded Overseas Research Scholarship by UK Universities, and studied her PhD in 'Proteomics Analysis of Streptococci Pathogens' at Northumbria University. After her PhD, Meng stayed in Northumbria University as a Post-doctoral Research Associate and continually worked on Proteomics for one year.

At end of 2007, Meng started her postdoctoral research in Biocatalysis which using biological systems, bacterial cells and enzymes to convert chemicals to high value products. She acted as R&D manager in Nzomics Biocatalysis, which is a university enterprise in Northumbria. In the duration of 6 years, she has successfully completed one Knowledge Transfer Partnership (KTP) project, and two Innovation Vouchers projects. In addition, she has managed many commercial research projects for national and international clients including GSK, Kraft Foods, Almac Sciences, Prozomix, and Hycagen. Based on her university based commercial experience, Meng did a part-time MBA in Newcastle Business School, and her dissertation research focus on Influence Factors of Knowledge Transfer Activities in the UK University.

From 2010, Meng began lecturing in Department of Applied Sciences, Health and Life Science faculty, and she became a full-time lecturer in 2013. She continuously built up her biocatalysis research by collaborating with various academic and industrial partners and at same time she started to establish new interdisciplinary research interest in BioDesign.

Based on her work in BioDesign, along with colleagues from Architect and Engineer, they were successful won £8M strategic funding from Research England to establish the world first research centre ‘Hub for Biotechnology in the Built Environment’. Within the Hub, she co-lead Living Construction theme, and work as biological expert on all the research projects. She also initiated and organised the Biodesign Challenge European Hub and establish Biodesign European network. To push Biodesign research agenda, she is also co-leading ‘Biodesign for Bioeconomy’ research theme in Northumbria as one of multidisciplinary research themes (MDRTs).

I have been Co-I and Co-PI on three EPSRC funded projects Computational Colloids (EP/N005791/1) and Thinking Soils (EP/R003629/1, EP/R003777/1) on the topic of Engineered bacteria as computational agents in the design and manufacture of new materials and structures through MICP’ and ‘Principles for a Microbial 3D Printer’ (EP/V050710/1).

Campus Address

EBA501
Ellison Building

Email Meng

Research Themes and Scholarly Interests

Dr Meng Zhang is currently co-lead in the Living Contruction research group in HBBE. Her research focuses on applying microbial biotechnology to the built environment, particularly in the living construction which aim to develop design methods and processes which embrace the complexity of biological systems and digital fabrication. The key to her research is seeing growth as a manufacturing process, producing materials’ properties which are enhanced as a result of the use of these biological system through sensing, responsive of living cells.

Key Publications

Please visit the Pure Research Information Portal for further information
Biofilm inspired fabrication of functional bacterial cellulose through ex-situ and in-situ approaches, Gilmour, K., Aljannat, M., Markwell, C., James, P., Scott, J., Jiang, Y., Torun, H., Dade-Robertson, M., Zhang, M. 15 Mar 2023, In: Carbohydrate Polymers
Demonstrating the potential of biological self-healing for conservation through the healing masonry prototype, Theodoridoua, M., Mwebaza, D., Agraviador, A., Sherry, A., Zhang, M., Dade-Robertson, M., James, P., Bridgens, B., Morrow, R. 15 Feb 2023, 2nd International Conference on Construction, Energy, Environment & Sustainability, 2023
Effects of organic and inorganic additives on microbially induced calcium carbonate precipitation, Haystead, J., Sherry, A., Dade-Robertson, M., Zhang, M. 30 Aug 2023, 5th Environmental Biotechnology Network ECR Conference, Heriot Watt University, Edinburgh.
Engineered Living Fabrication: Combining hardware, wetware and software for the non-entropic guided growth of microbial cellulose, Dade-Robertson, M., Arnardottir, T., Loh, J., Gilmour, K., Lee, S., Zhang, M. 28 Aug 2023, ACADIA 2023
Fungal Engineered Living Materials: the viability of pure mycelium materials with self-healing functionalities, Elsacker, E., Zhang, M., Dade-Robertson, M. 18 Jul 2023, In: Advanced Functional Materials
Healing Masonry: Demonstrating the Potential of Biological Self-healing for Building Conservation, Theodoridou, M., Agraviador, A., Mwebaza, D., Sherry, A., Zhang, M., Dade-Robertson, M., James, P. 15 Apr 2023, BioProtopia, Basel, Switzerland, Birkhauser Verlag Basel
Innovating fire safety with recombinant hydrophobic proteins for textile fire retardancy, Gilmour, K., Arnardottir, T., Scott, J., James, P., Jiang, Y., Dade-Robertson, M., Zhang, M. 25 Sep 2023, In: Microbial Biotechnology
Living self-upgrading shelter: a biodesign approach for future of sustainable disaster relief, Ghanbarzadeh Ghomi, S., Charlton, J., Zhang, M. 20 Aug 2023, The 10th International Conference on Architecture and Built Environment, Berlin, Germany, S.ARCH
Space Architecture, Biotechnology,and Parametric Processes: Component design through assembly, growth, and fabrication parameters in an iterative feedback loop, Brandic Lipinska, M., Dade-Robertson, M., Zhang, M. 21 Aug 2023, ACADIA 2023
Are Mushrooms Parametric?, Ozkan, D., Morrow, R., Zhang, M., Dade-Robertson, M. 10 May 2022, In: Biomimetics

Professional Activity

Please visit the Pure Research Information Portal for further information
Oral presentation: Demonstrating the potential of biological self-healing for conservation through the healing masonry prototype. Presenter: Magdalini Theodoridou. 2023

PGR Supervision

Jenifer Mariya Francis The Study Of Streptococcal Pathogenesis using Proteomic and Metabolomic Approaches Start Date: 08/12/2015
Jamie Haystead The Investigation of Microbial Induced Calcium Carbonate Precipitation for Soil Improvement Start Date: 01/10/2018
Jennifer Wright The study of the activation of Bacillus subtilis urease in vivo. Start Date: 01/10/2016 End Date: 28/09/2021
Nicola Cowley Expression and biochemical characterisation of components of an acaricide metabolising cytochrome P450 from the cattle tick, Rhipicephalus microplus, to improve the efficacy of control methods. Start Date: 13/08/2019

Qualifications

Business and Administration MBA July 06 2011
Biochemistry PhD November 13 2006
Environmental Studies/Science MSc December 02 2002
Applied Biology BSc July 02 2001
Full Ordinary Member Society for Applied Microbiology (SfAM) 2002

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Research at Northumbria

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