Pengfei Zhang received his Ph.D. from the University of Science and Technology of China. He subsequently conducted postdoctoral research at the Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, and at the University of Science and Technology of China. He joined the Hangzhou Institute of Medicine, Chinese Academy of Sciences, in 2021.

His research investigates the functions and mechanisms of nucleic acids, including long noncoding RNA, circular RNA, and extrachromosomal circular DNA, as well as nucleic acid–protein networks. He explores their roles in cancer development and progression and their potential applications in the diagnosis and treatment of age-related diseases.

His research has appeared in Nature Communications, Advanced Science, Clinical and Translational Medicine, Angewandte Chemie International Edition, Cell Reports, EMBO Reports, and eLife. He is a recipient of the Chinese Academy of Sciences President’s Special Award.