Luoping Zhang, PhD

A dedicated educator, scientist, researcher, author, and lecturer with more than 40 years of professional experience, Luoping Zhang, PhD has demonstrated expertise in chemistry—specifically toxicology, genome toxicity, and molecular epidemiology—and a strong drive to better human society throughout her remarkable career. Excelling in numerous roles at the University of California, Berkeley School of Public Health beginning in the early 1990s, she last served as an adjunct professor from 2012 up until 2022, at which point she attained emeritus status. She was previously an associate adjunct professor from 2006 to 2012 and advanced from an assistant specialist to an associate specialist to a full-time specialist between 1992 and 2006. She began her career at the university as a postgraduate researcher in 1992. Before that, she gained experience as a research and teaching assistant at the Simon Fraser University School of Kinesiology and was active as a visiting scientist within the Department of Biochemistry at the University of Padova and the Department of Experimental Medicine & Biochemical Science at the University of Perugia. Between 1982 and 1987, Dr. Zhang served as a research associate at Zhongnan National College and then a research and teaching associate at the Huazhong University of Science and Technology.

Dr. Zhang’s extensive work and research in chemistry have revolved around the benefits and effects of water chemicals on humans. Through her findings, she discovered that the chemicals could be extremely harmful and lead to cancer—serving as her catalyst to incorporate her studies of toxicology and chemical exposure and devote herself to the prevention and cure of cancer.

Outside of her primary roles, Dr. Zhang has established herself as a renowned figure in her field and provided her experience and wisdom as an invited speaker at numerous conferences and symposia and the author of an important work, “Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention,” which was published by the American Association for Cancer Research in 2014. In addition, she currently sits on the Board of Editors for the publications China Occupational Medicine, Environmental and Molecular Mutagenesis, and Advances in Biomarker Sciences and Technology—for which she’s also editor-in-chief. She has served on numerous boards for prestigious organizations, such as the National Academies of Sciences and the International Conference on Environmental Pollutants and Public Health, and weighed in as an expert during a consultation meeting held by the Federal Institute for Risk Assessment; she was also selected as an expert by the International Agency for Research on Cancer, which she considers her most notable achievement.

Over the course of her career, Dr. Zhang has been affiliated with several organizations, including the American Association of Chinese in Toxicology, Society of Toxicology, Northern California Society of Toxicology, and Environmental Mutagenesis and Genomics Society. She has also accrued several awards in recognition of her many professional achievements: she was honored with an Outstanding Teacher Award by the Huazhong University of Science and Technology in 1986; Awards of Academic Excellence for Publications by the Cinese Chemical Society in 1986 and 1988; School of Public Health Awards for Teaching Excellence by the University of California, Berkeley in 2014 and 2015; a Distinguished Chinese Toxicologist Lectureship Award by the Society of Toxicology in 2016; and numerous fellowships and scholarships. Moreover, she has been an Honored Professor within the College of Life Science and Technology at the Huazhong University of Science and Technology since 2000.

Looking ahead five to 10 years from now, Dr. Zhang strives to continue her impact as a scientist and researcher, as well as educate more students about environmental and occupational exposure related to cancer.