Kang Huang
Assistant Professor
Department of Biological Systems Engineering
Washington State University
Email: kang.huang@wsu.edu │ Phone: 509-335-1232
Office: L.J. Smith 210 │ Laboratory: FSHN 346
Dr. Kang Huang joined WSU with four years of experience at The University of Auckland, New Zealand, as a Lecturer and later Senior Lecturer. He holds B.E. and Ph.D. degrees in Biosystems Engineering from Zhejiang University, China. Following his doctoral studies, Dr. Huang enriched his expertise as a postdoctoral fellow at UMass and UC Davis.
Professional and Research Experience
- Assistant Professor, Washington State University, Oct 2023 – present
- Senior Lecturer, The University of Auckland, Feb 2022 – Sep 2023
- Lecturer, The University of Auckland, July 2019 -Jan 2022
- Postdoctoral Fellow, University of California, Davis, Nov 2015 – June 2019
- Postdoctoral Fellow, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, Nov 2013 – Oct 2015
Education
- Ph.D. Biosystems Engineering, Zhejiang University
- B.E. Biosystems Engineering, Zhejiang University
Current Members
Postdoctoral Research Associate
Sungjun Hwang
Nov 2024 – present
- Ph.D. University of Maine
- M.S. Kookmin University
- B.S. Kookmin University
Research Interest: Developing bio-based fillers for polymer matrices to enhance material performance, promote sustainability, and enable applications in various industries, including food packaging and additive manufacturing.
Yuan Yuan
Feb 2026 – present
- Ph.D. University of Tennessee, Knoxville
- M.S. Nanjing Agricultural University
- B.S. Jilin Agricultural University
Research Interest: Bio-based functional materials and coatings; non-thermal antimicrobial technologies; AI/modeling-enabled mechanistic design for safe and efficient food systems.
PhD Students
Rishabh Goyal
Aug 2024 – present
- M.S. National Institute of Technology, Rourkela
- B.S. Raja Balwant Singh Engineering Technical Campus
Research Interest: Application of artificial intelligence and computer imaging in food safety, including hyperspectral imaging, spectroscopy, and rapid detection of microbes and adulterants.
Wenjing Lu
Jan 2025 – present
- M.S. Beijing University of Technology
- B.S. Lyuliang University
Research Interest: Development of bio-based antimicrobial delivery systems for food and agricultural applications.
Zeyuan Zhang
Jan 2026 – present
- M.S. ETH Zurich
- B.S. University of Nebraska – Lincoln
- B.S. Northwest A&F University
Research Interest: Development of biobased, multifunctional substrate-independent coatings.
Former Members
- Morgan Liu, PhD, 2020-2025
- Shanshan Liu, PhD, 2021-2025
- Kelly Tao, PhD, 2020-2025
- Jayden Scott, Undergraduate Intern, 2024
- Yijun Liu, MS, 2023-2024
- Zhuolin Chen, MS, 2023-2024
- Xiaoying Luo, Visiting Scholar, 2023-2024
- Shijie Tian, Visiting Scholar, 2022-2023
- Minyue Guo, MS, 2022-2023
- Sunny Xu, Postgraduate Diploma, 2022-2023
- Yijun Liu, BSc(Honours), 2022
- Minyue Guo, BSc(Honours), 2021-2022
- Yingxin Li, BSc(Honours), 2021-2022
- Hanxiaoya Zhang, MS, 2021-2022
- Zebiah Benjamin, MS, 2021-2022
- Shanshan Liu, Research Assistant, 2020
- Sherry Zhao, Research Assistant, 2020
- Jennifer Yoo, BSc(Honours), 2020-2021
- Morgan Liu, BSc(Honours), 2019-2020
- Kelly Tao, BSc(Honours), 2019-2020