Zhen-Gang Wang

Zhen-Gang Wang is the Dick and Barbara Dickinson Professor of Chemical Engineering at the California Institute of Technology, serving as Executive Officer for Chemical Engineering since 2019. He received his B.Sc. from Beijing University (1982) and Ph.D. from the University of Chicago (1987), followed by faculty positions at Caltech rising from Assistant (1991-97) to Associate (1997-2002) and finally Professor (2002-present).

• Executive Officer, Chemical Engineering (2019-present)
• Caltech faculty since 1991
• Research spans polymer physics, biophysics, and electrostatic correlations

His research focuses on statistical mechanics of complex fluids, phase transitions, and biophysical systems. Key areas include:

• Polymer gel dynamics
• Electrostatic effects in charged soft matter
• Nucleation phenomena
• CO2 separation membranes
• Evolutionary protein design

Recent publications emphasize computational methods (e.g., MDCraft software), electrostatic correlations in polyelectrolytes, and machine learning-driven polymer design for gas separation. Awards include the 2024 Polymer Physics Prize and AIChE Alpha Chi Sigma Award (2023), with election to the National Academy of Engineering (2025).

• Over 20 PhD students mentored
• Developed courses in polymer physics and statistical thermodynamics
• Led studies on ion transport and biomolecular condensates

The group operates from the Spalding Laboratory of Engineering, advancing both fundamental theory and applied materials science.