1. Personal Introduction:

Prof. Zhang Si is a member of the Chinese Academy of Engineering and Director of the Southern Marine Science and Engineering Guangdong Laboratory (Guangzhou). 

He focuses on the core scientific and technological issues of “eco-environmental effects of the active compositions of tropical marine organisms and its utilization” and “ecological security of the reef islands in the South China Sea and the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area”. He has created the ecological engineering theory of the chemical ecology of tropical marine life and developed key technologies for the green utilization of bioactive substances from tropical marine life. These achievements have reduced the sources of marine pollution and promoted the green utilization of marine bio-resources.

He has made significant theoretical and technical achievements in the development of the ecological coast (biological coast) of the reef islands in the South China Sea. Furthermore, he has made outstanding contributions to revealing the land-ocean interaction in the GHM Greater Bay Area and the material evolution in the deep sea. These achievements have provided an irreplaceable technological basis to support the secondary natural development of reef islands and laid a solid foundation for ecological security and sustainable development in the South China Sea. In addition to the above theoretical and technical achievements, he has constructed an innovation platform for tropical sea ecological engineering, which is the key foundation for promoting the sustainable development of engineering technology.

He has published 400 journal papers (300 papers published in SCI journals) and 3 books, acquired 100 authorized patents (including 20 PCT patents). The scientific research team led by him received the top commendation from the CPC Central Committee and the State Council in 2018. He has also received the Award for Outstanding Contribution to Science and Technology in Guangdong Province, the National Award for Excellence in Innovation, the National Technological Invention Award, the National Science and Technology Progress Award, the 15th China Patent Excellence Award and the Ho Leung Ho Lee Prize for Science and Technology Innovation, among others.

2. Major projects chaired in recent years:

National Development and Reform Commission of China: Cold Seep Ecosystem Infrastructure（2023-2028）

Ship-time Sharing Project of National Natural Science Foundation of China: Major scientific investigation and experimental study on the formation and maintenance mechanism of biodiversity in cold seep ecosystems（2025-2028）

Major Program of the National Natural Science Foundation of China: Evolution and protection of marine ecosystems in remote islands and reefs（2025-2029）

3. Scientific research achievements：

(1)Representative papers

  1．X. N. Wu, J.C. Feng, X. Chen, Y. L. Lin, Y. J. Huang, S. Zhong, C. R. Li, M. Z. Zhu, S. Zhang. Effects of Different Types of Microplastics on Cold Seep Microbial Diversity and Function. Environ. Sci. Technol., 2025. Accepted. 

2. X. Chen, Y. J. Yu, Y. Wang, J. C. Feng, S. Zhang, Z.B. Ding, L. Tang, X. N. Wu, J. L. Hu. Mutual disposal of municipal solid waste and flue gas on isolated islands. Appl. Energy., 2024, 353:122057.

3．X. Chen, X. N. Wu, J.C. Feng, B. Wang, C. R. Li, Y. L. Lin, Y. J. Huang, S. Zhong, X. C. Zhang, J. L. Hu, S. Zhang. Methane seepage leads to a specific microplastic aging process in the simulated cold seep environment. J. Hazard. Mater., 2024, 482(1):136572.

4. X.Y. Tao, Z.F. Yang, J. J Feng, S.Y Jian, Y.F Yang, C. T. Bates, G.S. Wang, X. Guo, D.L. Ning, M. L. Kempher, X. J., A. Liu, Y. Ouyang, S. Han, L.W Wu, Y. F Zeng, J.L. Kuang, Y. Zhang, X.S. Zhou, Z. Shi, W. Qin, J.J Wang, M. K. Firestone, J. M. Tiedje, J. Z. Zhou. Experimental warming accelerates positive soil priming in a temperate grassland ecosystem. Nat. Commun., 2024, 15: 1178.

5. J. C. Feng, C. R. Li, L. Tang, X. N. Wu, Y. Wang, Z. F. Yang, W. Y. Yuan, L. W. Sun, W. Q. Hu and S. Zhang. Tracing the Century-Long Evolution of Microplastics Deposition in a Cold Seep, Adv. Sci., 2023, 10(10): 2206120. 

6. Y．Chen, Y. J. Lyu, J. Zhang, Q. Q. Li, L. N. Lyu, Y.L. Zhou, J. Kong, X. Y. Zeng, S. Zhang, J. Li. Riddles of Lost City: Chemotrophic Prokaryotes Drives Carbon, Sulfur, and Nitrogen Cycling at an Extinct Cold Seep, South China Sea. Microbiol. Spectr., 2023, 11: e03338-22.

7. X. Y Tao, H.R Ouyang, A.F. Zhou, D.Y. Wang, H. Matlock, J. S. Morgan, A.T. Ren, D.S Mu, C. L. Pan, X.J. Zhu, A. Han, J. Z. Zhou. Polyethylene Degradation by a Rhodococcous Strain Isolated from Naturally Weathered Plastic Waste Enrichment. Environ. Sci. Technol., 2023, 57(37): 13901-13911.

8．Y.L. Zhou, P. Mara, G. J. Cui, V. P. Edgcomb, Y. Wang. Microbiomes in the Challenger Deep slope and bottom-axis sediments. Nat. Commun., 2022, 13: 1515.

9．J. C. Feng, J. Z. Liang, Y. P. Cai, S. Zhang, J. C. Xue and Z. F. Yang. Deep-sea organisms research oriented by deep-sea technologies development. Sci. Bull., 2022, 67(17): 1802-1816. 

10. X. Y Tao, J.J Feng, Y. F. Yang, G. S Wang, R.M. Tian, F.L Fan, D. L. Ning, C. T. Bates, L. Hale, M.T. Yuan, L.W. Wu, Q. Gao, J.S. Lei, E. A. G. Schuur, J. L Yu, R. Bracho, Y.Q. Luo, K. T. Konstantinidis, E. R. Johnston, J. R. Cole, C. R. Penton, J. M. Tiedje, J. Z. Zhou, Winter warming in Alaska accelerates lignin decomposition contributed by Proteobacteria. Microbiome, 2022, 8: 84.

11．Z. Mai, L. Wang, Q. Li, Y. Sun and S. Zhang, Biodegradation and metabolic pathway of phenanthrene by a newly isolated bacterium Gordonia sp. SCSIO19801. Biochem. Biophys. Res. Commun., 2021, 585, 42–47.

12．J. Li, L. Long, Y. Zou and S. Zhang, Microbial community and transcriptional responses to increased temperatures in coral Pocillopora damicornis holobiont. Environ. Microbiol., 2021, 23, 826–843.

13．Y. Xiang, Q. Zeng, Z. M. Mai, Y. C. Chen, X. F. Shi, X. Y. Chen, W. M. Zhong, X. Y. Wei, W. M. Zhang, S. Zhang and F. Z. Wang, Asperorydines N-P, three new cyclopiazonic acid alkaloids from the marine-derived fungus Aspergillus flavus SCSIO F025. Fitoterapia, 2021, 150, 11–16.

14．F. Wang, S. Zhang, W. Zhong, Y. Chen, Z. Mai, X. Wei, J. Wang, Q. Zeng, X. Chen, X. Tian and W. Zhang, Euroticins A and B, two pairs of highly constructed salicylaldehyde derivative enantiomers from a marine-derived fungus eurotium sp. SCSIO F452. J. Org. Chem., 2020, 85, 12754–12759.

15. Jie Li, Si Zhang. Kocuria Coralli Sp. Nov., A Novel Actinobacterium Isolated From Coral Reef Seawater. Int. J. Syst. Evol. Microbiol., 2019:785-789.

16. W. M. Zhong, J.F. Wang, X.Y. Wei, Y. C. Chen, T. D. Fu, Y. Xiang, X.N. Huang, X. P. Tian, Z. H. Xiao, W.M. Zhang, Si Zhang, L.J. Long ,and F.Z. Wang. Variecolortins A−C, Three Pairs of Spirocyclic Diketopiperazine Enantiomers from the Marine-Derived Fungus Eurotium sp. SCSIOF452. Org. Lett., 2018:4593-4596.

(2)Major patents

1. SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR SIMULATING FORMATION AND EVOLUTION OF A DEEP-SEA COLD SEEP ECOSYSTEM. US17/605241

2. An intelligent liquid injection device for deep-sea sediment microbial culture experiments. PCT/CN2022/138890

3. A deep-sea in-situ long-term experimental platform with sediment sampling function.  PCT/CN2022/138537

4. 深海保温保压单菌落高通量自动筛分的系统及方法 中国专利 ZL2022113396336

5. 一种深海沉积物中微塑料和宏塑料的无损探测分析方法 中国专利 ZL2021112221096

6. 深海保压保温微生物采集过滤固定培养的系统及方法 中国专利 ZL2022113382672

7. 大尺度高压模拟舱压力转换控制系统及方法 中国专利 ZL2020102239188

8. 一种模拟深海冷泉高压环境微生物在线多频率取样装置 中国专利 ZL2021112221236 3