International Eurasian Academy of Sciences, IEAS

Academician

Xiaojun YAN

Profile:

Elected Academician of the International Eurasian Academy of Sciences in 2018, Professor Xiaojun Yan is a distinguished Chinese marine biologist whose research and professional work have focused on seaweed biochemistry, algae-resource chemistry, marine aquaculture, and the utilisation of marine biological resources. Born in August 1968 in Suzhou, Jiangsu Province, he studied at Fudan University from 1985 to 1989 and received his doctorate in marine biology from the Institute of Oceanology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, in 1994. He subsequently conducted postdoctoral research at Japan’s National Food Research Institute and held visiting appointments at the University of Massachusetts, the University of California, Berkeley, and the University of Cádiz. After establishing his early career at the Institute of Oceanology, CAS, he returned to Zhejiang in 2002 as one of the first Qianjiang Scholars, where he established a research team in seaweed-resource biochemistry at Ningbo University. He later served as Executive Dean of its School of Marine Sciences and Vice President, and was President of Zhejiang Ocean University from 2017 to 2018. Since December 2018, he has served as Party Secretary of Zhejiang Ocean University and Director of the National Engineering Research Centre for Marine Facility Aquaculture. His honours include the National May 1 Labour Medal, the China Youth Science and Technology Award, the title of National Advanced Worker, and recognition among Elsevier’s Most Cited Chinese Researchers in agriculture and biology from 2014 to 2018.

Back to list page →

Professor Yan’s research has centred on the biochemical characterisation and utilisation of marine algae resources. He established research programmes in marine lipidomics and algal functional-factor analysis, and developed approaches for identifying and evaluating bioactive compounds in seaweeds and microalgae. His work identified and characterised algal antioxidants and other functional components, including phlorotannins, fucoxanthin, and agaro-oligosaccharides, and contributed to technologies for their preparation and utilisation. He also developed analytical methods for the structural characterisation of lipids in marine feed microalgae and established a large collection of feed-algal strains, including new diatom strains used in shellfish hatchery production. His research on the integrated utilisation of algal functional components led to industrial processes for the preparation of fucoxanthin, polyphenols, and polysaccharides, contributing to the development of marine biotechnology enterprises. In aquaculture, he developed relay seedling-raising and rotational cultivation approaches for laver and participated in programmes for the conservation and restoration of large yellow croaker resources. He has published 175 SCI-indexed papers, authored six monographs, and holds 91 authorised invention patents. As principal investigator, he has received a Second Prize of the National Science and Technology Progress Award and more than ten provincial and ministerial awards. Through sustained research, technology development, and university leadership, Professor Yan has contributed to connecting algae-resource chemistry with marine biotechnology, aquaculture, and the sustainable utilisation of marine biological resources.