Nigel Slater, former pro-vice-chancellor of the University of Cambridge and a distinguished figure in chemical engineering and biopharmaceuticals, has officially embarked on a new chapter in China’s rapidly rising biomedical frontier.
The veteran academic, who spent over three decades shaping science and innovation at Cambridge, has joined Zhejiang University in Hangzhou as part of a strategic move fuelled by both personal ambition and global scientific realignment.
For Slater, the journey from Cambridge’s historic labs to Hangzhou’s hi-tech hubs reflects both a continuation of his pioneering work in biopharmaceuticals and a commitment to nurturing the next generation of scientists.
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“While my primary motivation for working with Zhejiang University is research, I very much enjoy and derive great satisfaction from teaching young undergraduate students, who are highly enthusiastic and keen to learn about biological medicines,” he said last week.
Slater, who served as professor of chemical engineering, dean of Fitzwilliam College, and director of Cambridge’s department of chemical engineering, formally began his role at Zhejiang University in October last year – four years later than planned due to pandemic-related travel restrictions.
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Originally intending to transition immediately after retiring from Cambridge in 2020 under the university’s age-limit policy, he now brings a lifetime of expertise to China’s cutting-edge research ecosystem.