Department of Chemical Engineering and Materials Science
Research Field
Prof. John Chi-Wei Lan received his Ph.D in the School of Chemical Engineering from University of Birmingham (UK) in 2000. His doctoral research was dedicated to develop an efficient process to recovery of C595 diabody from fermentation broth using expanded bed technique in large scale production. He was a post-doctoral researcher at Academia Sinica (Taiwan) to work on bioprocessing design of feed-enzyme production from 2000 to 2003. He was also a research fellow in Yamaguchi University (Japan) and Industrial Technology and Research Institute (ITRI, Taiwan), respectively, before he joined Yuan Ze University (YZU) in 2007. Prof. Lan currently serves as Chair and Professor in the Department of Chemical Engineering and Materials Sciences at YZU and also the President of Biotechnology and Biochemical Engineering Society of Taiwan(BEST). Prof. Lan is an ample experience researcher in respect of involving design and construction of industrial plant and very active in collaboration between academia and industrial partners. His current research focuses upon process integration for bio-based chemicals production from waste biomass/industrial feedstocks.
The research group led by Prof. John Chi-Wei Lan focuses on sustainable biochemical engineering, integrating green biotechnology, waste valorization, and environmental bioprocessing. With a strong foundation in biocatalysis, metabolic engineering, and nanobiotechnology, the lab develops innovative solutions to address global challenges in bioenergy, biowaste upcycling, and resource recovery. Key research themes include: (1) Bioconversion of agro-industrial residues into value-added biochemicals, such as sugars, organic acids, and biopolymers, through enzymatic and microbial pathways. (2) Biohydrogen and bioplastic production via engineered strains and optimized bioreactor systems. (3) Microalgal and probiotic biotechnology for biofertilizer, food, and pharmaceutical applications. (4) Antimicrobial compound development from natural and probiotic sources, targeting drug resistance. (4) Nanomaterial-enhanced sensing systems, including CQDs derivatived from biomass and functionalized materials, for environmental and biomedical applications. Prof. Lan’s lab emphasizes interdisciplinary integration, combining chemical engineering, microbial physiology, process modeling, and AI-based optimization to develop scalable, environmentally conscious biotechnologies. The team actively collaborates across academia and industry and contributes to advancing Taiwan’s net-zero and circular economy goals.
Development of an Intelligent Co-Fermentation Platform for High-Yield PHA Copolymer Production from Non-GMO Bacteria: This internship project aims to develop the foundational framework of an AI-assisted fermentation system for the production of polyhydroxyalkanoate (PHA) copolymers using non-genetically modified (non-GMO) bacterial strains. As a key step toward a fully intelligent co-fermentation platform, the project will integrate bioprocess modeling, data-driven analytics, and machine learning to optimize microbial growth and PHA biosynthesis. Over six months, the student will work on defining key process variables, building kinetic models, acquiring and preprocessing fermentation data, and developing predictive AI models to forecast PHA yield and substrate utilization. This interdisciplinary work combines biochemical engineering with artificial intelligence to accelerate bioplastic production, enhance system efficiency, and support the development of next-generation smart biomanufacturing platforms aligned with circular bioeconomy goals.
Academia Sinica Post-doc Award, Taiwan (2001-2003), Excellence in Teaching Award, Yuan Ze University (2011), Excellent in Research Award, Yuan Ze University (2013, 2015~2024), Young Scholar Research Award, Yuan Ze University (2015), Young Asian Biotechnologist Prize 2017, Society of Biotechnology Japan (2017), Outstanding Research Award of Yuan Ze University (2019), Y. Z. Hsu Outstanding Professor Award, Far Eastern Y.Z.Hsu Foundation (2022), Academia Servicing Award, Biotechnology and Biochemical Engineering Society of Taiwan (2024), Y. Z. Hsu Chair Professor Award, Far Eastern Y.Z.Hsu Foundation (2025)
Ph.D., Chemical Engineering, University of Birmingham, U.K.