On December 15, 2021, the Science Technology Department of Zhejiang Province announced the recognition of several International Science and Technology Cooperation Entities (ISTCEs). The "Zhejiang-Saudi Joint Laboratory for Energy Materials" at ZJUI led by Associate Professor Ong Wee-Liat, was recognized as a Provincial-level International Joint Laboratory. This is the very first laboratory led by a mid-career faculty member at the Zhejiang University International Campus. This achievement serves as a booster for our faculty recruitment and development and heralds a new era for our young ZJUI institute, with our early and mid-career faculty members leading the way in international scientific research cooperation.
This provincial-level laboratory builds on the existing government-funded collaboration between Prof. Ong Wee Liat and Prof. Derya Baran at the King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST). It will also enhance the collaborative research strength of ZJUI and the International Research Center for Functional Polymers in energy materials research. Under the auspices of this new laboratory, the collaborating partners will deepen their cooperation in providing cutting-edge solutions for the research and development of new energy in China and Saudi Arabia. This laboratory will also assist Zhejiang Province in its innovation-driven development strategy and support our national “One Belt, One Road” initiative, by facilitating efficient scientific and technological exchanges between China and Saudi Arabia in the field of new energy.
Ong Wee-Liat joined ZJUI in 2018 as an Associate Professor and is currently the Acting Director for the Program in Engineering Sciences for Devices and Applied Materials. He received his B.Eng and M.Eng. degrees from the National University of Singapore and completed his Ph.D. degree from Carnegie Mellon University in 2015. Before his Ph.D., he worked at the Institute of Microelectronics (A*STAR, Singapore) in the field of bioMEMS and microfluidics. He was previously a joint post-doctoral fellow at Columbia University and Carnegie Mellon University. His current research interests include engineering thermo-physics (experimental and simulation), BioMEMS, and energy. He has published several articles in leading academic journals, including Nature Materials, Nano Letters, ACS Nano, Advanced Science, and Lab on Chip.
International Science and Technology Cooperation Entity (ISTCE) is an important platform initiated by the Zhejiang Province to deepen Zhejiang’s commitment to implement global science and technology cooperation and innovate the governance framework for international collaborations. The ISTCE aims to become a global role model for advancing strategic industries and technologies for enhancing sustainable human well-being. An International Joint Laboratory (as a part of ISTCE) seeks to promote ground-breaking scientific research by building strong bilateral collaborations in strategic areas of common interest to China and other foreign nations.
