Yagang received his B.S. from Lanzhou University major in materials chemistry in 2000. He obtained M.S. from Graduate University of Chinese Academy of Sciences in 2003. After that, he worked as project manager on oil and fats based fine chemicals at Xinjiang Technical Institute of Physics and Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences for two years. In 2005, he moved to USA starting his PhD with Professor Ken D. Shimizu working on molecular recognition and molecular imprinted polymers at University of South Carolina and graduated in May 2010. Then He joined Professor Steven C. Zimmerman and Professor Kenneth S. Suslick group at University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign as a Postdoc Research Associate working on supramolecular chemistry and materials chemistry from 2010-2013.

He returned back to China and took a position of Professor of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering in May 2013 at Xinjiang Technical Institute of Physics and Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences. He was awarded Tianshan Scholar Distinguished Professor in 2014. He served as Director of Xinjiang Fine Chemical Engineering Research Center 2014-2019. He started a new position in 2019 as Full Professor and Director of the Chemistry and Materials Science Lab at School of Materials and Energy, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China.

He is currently served as Young Editor for the Innovation, and is Young Editorial Advisory Board member of InfoMat. He also served as Guest Editor for Current Organic Chemistry and Nanomaterials. He was elected the President of Xinjiang Chemical Society in September 2017. Professor Zhang was elected the Fellow of the Royal Society of Chemistry (FRSC) in 2020, and the Grand Board Member, Chinese Chemical Society in January 2019 and 2023. 

Research Interests

Functional oriented molecular recognition and assembly, green and sustainable chemistry and engineering. 

Research focus on developing advanced functional materials based on molecular recognition and assembly.

Education

Ph.D. May 2010, Organic Chemistry, Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of South Carolina

M.S. July 2003, Organic Chemistry, Graduate University of the Chinese Academy of Sciences

B.S. July 2000, Materials Chemistry, Department of Materials Science, Lanzhou University    

Work Experiences

July 2019-Present       Professor, School of Materials and Energy, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China

June 2013-June 2019  Professor of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Xinjiang Technical Institute of Physics and Chemistry,  Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS)

Jan 2014-June 2019    Director of Xinjiang Fine Chemical Engineering Research Center

Jan 2019-Present        Grand Board Member, Chinese Chemical Society (2019-2022)

Sep 2017-2023           President, Xinjiang Chemical Society (2017-2023)

Jan 2014-Dec 2018     Xinjiang Tianshan Scholar Distinguished Professor

May 2010-May 2013   Post-doc Research Associate, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

May 2005-Aug 2005    Associate professor, Xinjiang Technical Institute of Physics and Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences

July 2003-April 2005   Assistant professor, Xinjiang Technical Institute of Physics and Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences

Honors, Awards and Recognitions

2023 Grand Board Member, Chinese Chemical Society (2023-2027)

2022 First Class Prizes of the Xinjiang Scientific and Technological Progress Award

2023 Guest Editor, Nanomaterials

2023 Young Editor, the Innovation

2022 Young Editorial Advisory Board Member, InfoMat

2021  “Tianfu Emei” Science and Technology Innovation Leader Award in Sichuan Province 

2020 Fellow of the Royal Society of Chemistry (FRSC) 

2019 Second Class Prizes of the Xinjiang Scientific and Technological Progress Award

2019 The 13^th China Industry-University-Research Cooperation Innovation Award

2019 the 47th Gold Award of the International Exhibition of Inventions Geneva, Switzerland

2019 Grand Board Member, Chinese Chemical Society (2019-2022)

2018 First Class Prizes of the Xinjiang Scientific and Technological Progress Award

2018 Outstanding Contribution Award, Xinjiang Chemical Society

2017 President, Xinjiang Chemical Society (2017-2023)

2017 Distinguished Achievement Award, Xinjiang Chemical Society

2017 Employee of the year award, Xinjiang Technical Institute of Physics and Chemistry, CAS

2016 Second Class Prizes of the Xinjiang Scientific and Technological Progress Award

2016 Second Prize in the Innovation and entrepreneurship competition in Xinjiang

2015 Employee of the year award, Xinjiang Technical Institute of Physics and Chemistry, CAS

2015 Xinjiang First prize for outstanding new product development

2015 First Prize in the Innovation and entrepreneurship competition in Xinjiang

2014 Xinjiang Tianshan Scholar Distinguished Professor award

2014 Guest Editor, Current Organic Chemistry

2012 Editorial Advisory Board, Current Organic Chemistry

2010 Hiram and Lawanda Allen Award for Excellence in Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of South Carolina

2009 Excellence in Graduate Polymer Research Symposium Awards, American Chemical Society

2009 Graduate Student Travel Awards, University of South Carolina

2008 The Lauren Brubaker Carolina Awards, University of South Carolina

2007 J. R. Durig Graduate Student Travel Awards, University of South Carolina

2005 Joseph W. Bouknight Teaching Award, University of South Carolina

2004 Employee of the year award, Xinjiang Technical Institute of Physics and Chemistry, CAS

2003 President Scholarship award for excellent graduate student, Chinese Academy of Sciences

2001 Outstanding Scholarship of Graduate University of Chinese Academy of Sciences

2000 Outstanding Graduate Award, Lanzhou University 

Recent publications

1. Yanxia Liu, Lulu Wang, Lin Zhao, Yagang Zhang*, Zhan-Ting Li *, Feihe Huang *. Multiple hydrogen bonding driven supramolecular architectures and their biomedical applications. Chemical Society Reviews, 2024, 53:1592-1623.  https://doi.org/10.1039/d3cs00705g    (Corresponding author) 

2. Yanxia Liu, Lulu Wang, Haitao Li, Lin Zhao, Yanfu Ma, Yagang Zhang*, Jian Liu*, Yen Wei*. Rigorous recognition mode analysis of molecularly imprinted polymers — rational design, challenges, and opportunities, Progress in Polymer Science, 2024, 150:101790.   https://doi.org/10.1016/j.progpolymsci.2024.101790  (Corresponding author) 

3. Zhikai Chen, Xiaoli Jiang, Yash Boyjoo, Lan Zhang, Wei Li, Lin Zhao, Yanxia Liu, Yagang Zhang*, Jian Liu*, Xifei Li*. Nanoporous Carbon Materials Derived from Biomass precursors: Sustainable Materials for Energy Conversion and Storage. Electrochemical Energy Reviews, 2024, Accepted, in press (Corresponding author) 

4. Xiaoli Jiang, Xianhui Ma, Yanxia Liu, Lin Zhao, Yagang Zhang*, Bo-Quan Li*，Qiang Zhang*.Cation vacancies creation propel pre-oxidation enhancing Nickel hydroxide activity for highly efficient 5-hydroxymethylfurfural upgrading. Applied Catalysis B: Environment and Energy.2024, 347: 123785.   https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apcatb.2024.123785  (Corresponding author)

5. Jiang Xiaoli, Li Wei, Liu Yanxia, Zhao Lin, Chen Zhikai, Zhang Lan, Zhang Yagang*, Yun Sining*. Electrocatalytic oxidation of 5-hydroxymethylfurfural for sustainable 2,5-furandicarboxylic acid production—From mechanism to catalysts design. SusMat, 2023; 3: 21-43.    https://doi.org/10.1002/sus2.109 (Corresponding author)

6. Min Zhou*, Xiaoli Jiang, Weijie Kong, Hangfei Li, Fei Lu, Xin Zhou, Yagang Zhang*.The Synergistic Effect of Dual-doped Carbon on Mo2C Nanocrystals Facilitates Alkaline Hydrogen Evolution.Nano-Micro Letters,2023,15: 166.https://doi.org/10.1007/s40820-023-01135-0  (Corresponding author)

7. Ting Zeng, Yanxia Liu, Yingfang Jiang, Lan Zhang, Yagang Zhang,* Lin Zhao, Xiaoli Jiang, and Qiang Zhang*. Advanced Materials Design for Adsorption of Toxic Substances in Cigarette Smoke. Advanced Science, 2023, 10: 2301834.  https://doi.org/10.1002/advs.202301834  (Corresponding author) 

8. Tang Zhiqiang, Huang Weidong, Zhang Yagang,* Liu Yanxia, Zhao Lin. Direct observation of the Mpemba effect with water: Probe the mysterious heat transfer. InfoMat, 2023, 5(2): e12352.     https://doi.org/10.1002/inf2.12352   (Corresponding author)

9. Wei Li*, Lin Zhao, Xiaoli Jiang, Zhikai Chen, Yagang Zhang,* and Shuangyin Wang*. Confinement Engineering of Electrocatalyst Surfaces and Interfaces. Advanced Functional Materials, 2022, 32, 2207727.    https://doi.org/10.1002/adfm.202207727 (Corresponding author)

10. Yanxia Liu, Lulu Wang, Lin Zhao, Yagang Zhang*. Structure, properties of gossypol and its derivatives-from physiological activities to drug discovery and drug design. Natural Product Reports, 2022, 39, 1282-1304.    https://doi.org/10.1039/d1np00080b   (Corresponding author)