Junwei Zhang

Junwei (Jeff) is a 1st year Ph.D. student in Chemical and Environmental Engineering. His research interests lie in the design principles and transport mechanisms of ion-selective membranes as well as corresponding applications in resource recovery, desalination, and water reuse. Prior to his Ph.D. study, Jeff obtained a B.Eng. degree in Civil Engineering from The University of Hong Kong and an M.S. degree in Civil and Environmental Engineering from University of California, Berkeley.

During his undergraduate studies in Hong Kong, Jeff worked closely with Dr. Hao Guo and Prof. Chuyang Tang on a broad range of projects in the field of membrane technologies, from reusable nanofibrous membranes for water and air purification to mechanistic modeling of forward osmosis. His curiosity about membrane selectivity was sparked when investigating the definitions, measurements, and comparability of different selectivity testing methods, a collaborative project with Prof. Shihong Lin’s lab at Vanderbilt University. After moving to Berkeley for a master’s degree, he continued researching the fundamentals of ion selectivity in polymeric membranes at Lawrence Berkeley Lab with Dr. Brett Helms and Dr. Ryan Kingsbury and expanded his research scope to 2-D membranes and interfacial polymerization by working in Prof. Baoxia Mi’s lab at University of California, Berkeley.

Outside lab, Jeff is an experienced badminton player and fan of NBA and likes traveling around the world to make new friends and learn different culture. In addition, as a Needham Scholar, he hopes to promote science and humanity and contribute to solve problems related to equal education and supports the development of undergraduate research. Lastly, Jeff is interested in entrepreneurship where IP from the academia can make direct impact on the industries.