Cambridge University ex-vice-chancellor Nigel Slater joins China’s biotech revolution
Veteran academic to collaborate with Chinese scientists to develop next-gen cancer therapies using vaccine tech for tumour immunotherapy
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.
“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.
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.