Jianjun Cheng

Principle Investigator

chengjianjun@westlake.edu.cn

Jianjun Cheng obtained a B.S. degree in Chemistry at Nankai University in 1993, a M.S. degree in Chemistry at Southern Illinois University at Carbondale in 1996, and a Ph.D. degree in Materials Science at the University of California, Santa Barbara in 2001 with Professor Timothy Deming. He was a Senior Scientist at Insert Therapeutics, Inc. from 2001 to 2004, and a Postdoctoral Research Scientist at MIT with Professor Robert Langer from 2004 to 2005. He joined the faculty of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (UIUC) as a tenure-track Assistant Professor in 2005, and was promoted to Associate Professor in 2011 and Full Professor in 2015 (distinguished promotion). In 2016, he was appointed as Hans Thurnauer Professor of Materials Science and Engineering at UIUC.In August 2021, he joined Westlake University as a Chair Professor of Materials Science and Engineering. From August 2021 to October 2024, he served as Dean of School of Engineering. He was appointed as the Vice President of Westlake University in October, 2024. Cheng is the co-inventor of 41 issued patents and co-authored over 200 publications. Cheng’s research has made translational impact. Two nanomedicine systems he co-developed has made to clinical trials. He received a Prostate Cancer Foundation Competitive Award in 2007, a National Science Foundation CAREER Award in 2008, a Xerox Award for Outstanding Research at UIUC in 2010, a NIH Director’s New Innovator Award in 2010, the Willett Faculty Scholar Award in 2013, and the UIUC Distinguished Promotion Award in 2015. He was appointed as an Associate of Center for Advanced Study at UIUC in 2014. In 2015, he was selected as one of the four inaugural Faculty Entrepreneurial Fellows in the College of Engineering, UIUC. He has also been on the list of Teacher Ranked As Excellent By Students for five times at UIUC. Cheng is Editor-in-Chief of Biomaterials Science, Royal Society of Chemistry, UK. He is a Fellow of the American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering (2015), a Fellow of American Chemical Society-Division of Polymer Chemistry (2015), a Fellow of American Association for the Advancement of Science (2016), and a Fellow of National Academy of Inventors (2020).He was selected as the New Cornerstone Investigator in October, 2023.

Former Members

Former Ph.D. Graduate Students

  • Name
  • Current Position
  • Current Affiliation
  • Year
  • Yingfeng Yang
  • Materials Scientist
  • Triastek
  • Ph.D. 2021
  • Ruibo Wang
  • Scientist
  • Illumina, Inc
  • Ph.D. 2018
  • Ziyuan Song
  • Professor
  • Soochow University
  • Ph.D. 2017
  • Kaimin Cai
  • CTO
  • Surio Therapeutics Co. Ltd
  • Ph.D. 2017
  • Ryan Baumgartner
  • -
  • -
  • Ph.D. 2017
  • Hua Wang
  • Assistant Professor
  • University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign
  • Ph.D. 2016
  • Hanze Ying
  • Research Scientist
  • Dow Chemical
  • Ph.D. 2016
  • Qian Yin
  • Instructor
  • Stanford University
  • Ph.D. 2015
  • Nan Zheng
  • Associate Professor
  • Dalian University of Technology
  • Ph.D. 2015
  • Jonathan Yen
  • -
  • -
  • Ph.D. 2015
  • Li Tang
  • Assistant Professor
  • École polytechnique federale de Lausanne
  • Ph.D. 2012
  • Hua Lv
  • Professor
  • Peking University
  • Ph.D. 2011
  • Yugang Bai
  • Professor
  • Hunan University
  • Ph.D. 2010
  • Rong Tong
  • Assistant Professor
  • Virginia Tech
  • Ph.D. 2010

Former Postdoctoral Associates

  • Name
  • Current Position
  • Current Affiliation
  • Year
  • Yunjiang Jiang
  • Senior Scientist
  • Shenzhen Bay Laboratory
  • 2018-2020
  • Shixian Lv
  • Research Professor
  • Peking University
  • 2016-2018
  • Menghua Xiong
  • Professor
  • South China University of Technology
  • 2013-2017
  • Li Shen
  • Associate Professor
  • Zhejiang Chinese Medical University
  • 2016-2017
  • Yanfeng Zhang
  • Professor
  • Xi'an Jiaotong University
  • 2010-2015
  • Yang Liu
  • Associate Professor
  • Sun Yat-sen University
  • 2013-2015
  • Lichen Yin
  • Professor
  • Soochow University
  • 2010-2014
  • Chunlai Tu
  • Research Director
  • Shangha Jiao Tong University
  • 2012-2014
  • Yun-Xiang Xu
  • Associate Professor
  • Sichuan University
  • 2009-2011
  • Xueyun Gao
  • Professor
  • Beijing University of Technology
  • 2005-2006

Visiting Scholars, Students and Others

  • Name
  • Current Position
  • Current Affiliation
  • Year
  • Junpei Shi
  • PhD Student
  • Stanford University Chemistry PhD program
  • 2025
  • Qinheng Pu
  • PhD Student
  • Joint GT-Emory PhD in Biomedical Engineering 
  • 2024
  • Xiaoyang Liu
  • PhD Student
  • UC Riverside Chemistry PhD Program
  • 2024
  • Boya Zhu
  • PhD Student
  • UC Berkeley PhD program Chemistry
  • 2023
  • Yi Cao
  • PhD Student
  • Johns Hopkins Chemical Engineering PhD program
  • 2023
  • Lei Jiang
  • Associate Professor
  • China Pharmaceutical University
  • 2019-2020
  • Yong Hu
  • Professor
  • Nanjing University
  • 2019-2020
  • Xu Wang
  • Associate Professor
  • Tianjin Medical University
  • 2018-2020
  • Yanming Wang
  • Associate Professor
  • Nankai University
  • 2018-2019
  • Yingchun Xia
  • Postdoc
  • Tsinghua University
  • 2017-2019
  • Yunchao Jia
  • Lecturer
  • Henan University of Technology
  • 2017-2019
  • Xuefang Wang
  • Lecturer
  • Qingdao University
  • 2017-2019
  • Shujuan Wang
  • Associate Professor
  • Xi'an Jiaotong University
  • 2017-2018
  • Zheng Wang
  • Professor
  • Tianjin University
  • 2016-2018
  • Li Chen
  • Professor
  • Northeast Normal University
  • 2016-2017
  • Chongyi Chen
  • Professor
  • Ningbo University
  • 2016-2017
  • Jade Zhiyu Wang
  • Research Scientist
  • University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign
  • 2015-2017
  • Yanjun Zhao
  • Professor
  • Tianjin University
  • 2016
  • Yanrong Lu
  • Laboratory Technician
  • Solenis
  • 2011-2015
  • Yuan Yao
  • Associate Professor
  • East China University of Science and Technology
  • 2013-2014
  • Yan Li
  • Associate Professor
  • Tongji University
  • 2013-2014
  • Yanbing Lu
  • Professor
  • Hunan University
  • 2010-2011

CONTACT US

Address:No. 600 Dunyu Road, Sandun Town, Xihu District 310030 Hangzhou, Zhejiang PR China

Email:chengjianjun@westlake.edu.cn (research affairs)