Wei Jia - Biography#

Professor Jia has a distinguished career in the medical field, spanning over 30 years. He has a proven track record of establishing and managing successful interdisciplinary research programs, such as translational research centers and drug discovery laboratories, in both academic and industrial settings. At the age of 36, he achieved the rank of full professor. Prior to his academic career, Jia began as a chemist in China and later received graduate and professional training in the United States from 1989 to 1998. After spending 10 years in China, he returned to the United States and joined the faculty at the University of North Carolina in 2008.

Professor Jia has made numerous contributions to the field of metabolomics through his research and publication of over 440 papers, which have been cited over 33,000 times. He has established strong collaborations in the United States, Europe, and China and has developed several in vitro diagnostic tests for various medical conditions such as chronic liver disease, gastrointestinal cancers, and metabolic syndrome, which are used in clinical centres around the world. His laboratory has received significant funding totaling approximately $36.5 million USD in both the United States and China, and he has been successful in developing new research projects that have resulted in significant publications and novel technologies with commercial potential. In addition to his research, Professor Jia has also held various administrative positions, including Vice Dean of the Schools of Pharmacy at Shanghai Jiao Tong University and Tianjin University, founding Director of the Centre for Translational Biomedical Research at the University of North Carolina, Associate Director of the University of Hawaii Cancer Centre, and Director of the Hong Kong Phenome Research Centre.

Professor Jia currently serves on the editorial board of nine international journals. He has mentored nine junior faculty members, 15 postdoctoral fellows, 38 Ph.D. students, and 32 M.S. students throughout his career. His current research focuses on microbial metabolomics and host-gut microbe interactions in the development of metabolic disorders such as diabetes and gastrointestinal cancer. He leads a world-class metabolomics laboratory that supports translational research in cancer biology, drug discovery, and traditional Chinese medicine.

Currently he is ADJUCT SCIENTIST at the Centre of Excellence "Torevergata Oncoscience Research" (TOR) , Department of Experimental Medicine, at the University of Rome Tor Vergata, Italy.