Dr Tao Zhang is a Lecturer and Principal Investigator (PI) at the School of Food Science and Environmental Health (SoFSEH), Technological University Dublin (TU Dublin, Grangegorman), formerly Dublin Institute of Technology (DIT). He graduated with a First-Class Honours BSc (Hons) in Pharmaceutical Technology from DIT in 2004, receiving the AGB Award for Excellence. He later obtained a Postgraduate Diploma in Quality Improvement from Trinity College Dublin (TCD) in 2006, followed by a PhD in Pharmacy Research from the School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences (SoPPS), TCD, in 2009. Following a postdoctoral research period at TCD, Dr Zhang moved into the pharmaceutical industry, joining Trino Therapeutics Ltd in 2011 as a Senior Chemist, later becoming Principal Scientist. He played a key role in drug discovery programmes and led GMP manufacturing campaigns, successfully advancing PH46A to European human clinical trials. In 2017, he joined APC Ltd as a Team Lead, managing an interdisciplinary team focused on the development and optimisation of (bio)pharmaceutical processes. Dr Zhang returned to academia in 2018 as a Lecturer at SoFSEH, TU Dublin, where he currently serves as Programme Chair for the nationally and internationally recognised Pharmacy Technician Studies programme (TU654 | TU657). He is also Co-Coordinator of the European Association of Pharmacy Technicians – European Academic Network and a PI at the Trinity Centre for Natural Products Research (NatPro), Ireland. Dr Zhang’s research focuses on drug discovery, natural product science, and ethnopharmacology, with an emphasis on identifying bioactive compounds from natural sources and synthetic approaches to address health challenges and unmet clinical needs. Additionally, His research in higher education explores curriculum development and professional development, with a particular focus on pharmacy and pharmaceutical education.

Drug Discovery; Ethnopharmacology; Natural Product Research for Health

Chromatography; Spectroscopy; Organic/Medicinal Chemistry; Analyticals