Dr. Xueyao Zhang receives Virginia Tech’s university-wide 2026 Outstanding Dissertation Award in STEM

Dr. Xueyao (Kira) Zhang, a recent Ph.D. graduate from Dr. Zhiwu Wang's research group, has received Virginia Tech's 2026 Outstanding Dissertation Award in the Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) category. This is a university-wide honor: only one dissertation is selected each year across all Virginia Tech STEM disciplines for this award.

Only one dissertation is selected each year across all Virginia Tech STEM disciplines for this university-wide Outstanding Dissertation Award.

The award was presented as part of Virginia Tech's Graduate Education Week. Virginia Tech News listed Zhang as the recipient of the Outstanding Dissertation Award in STEM during the Graduate School's annual awards reception, held March 26 in the Graduate Life Center. The recognition honors exceptional doctoral scholarship and is one of the Graduate School's most selective dissertation awards in STEM.

Zhang’s dissertation, Harnessing Haloferax mediterranei for Bioplastic Production from Organic Waste, advances scalable bioprocesses for converting organic waste into polyhydroxyalkanoate (PHA) bioplastics. Her work supports waste valorization and circular bioeconomy applications by connecting organic waste pretreatment, microbial fermentation, and process development for biodegradable bioplastic production.

According to the Graduate School award notification, the faculty review committee recognized the originality and high-impact potential of Zhang's research, its contribution to the scientific community, and the quality of her final dissertation document. The award includes a certificate and a $1,000 honorarium from the Graduate School.

Zhang is now a postdoctoral scholar in the Biological and Agricultural Engineering Department at the University of California, Davis, where she continues to work on sustainable and scalable bioprocessing systems that convert organic waste into value-added materials, fuels, and chemicals. UC Davis Biological and Agricultural Engineering also highlighted her award-winning dissertation as an integrated pathway for transforming food waste into biodegradable bioplastics.

Zhang credited her advisor, Dr. Zhiwu Wang, her Ph.D. committee members, collaborators, and supporters for their guidance throughout the research. Congratulations to Dr. Zhang on this outstanding recognition and on the continued impact of her work in bioplastics, waste valorization, and circular bioeconomy.