Rate My Professor Lifeng Kang

Lifeng Kang is an Associate Professor in Pharmaceutical Sciences at the School of Pharmacy, Faculty of Medicine and Health, University of Sydney. His laboratory focuses on microscale technologies such as microneedles and microfluidics, alongside 3D printing for drug delivery, diagnostics, and tissue engineering, including applications in hair follicle, cardiac, and dental regeneration. Kang's research also addresses topical and transdermal delivery via nanocarriers and semisolids, as well as drug solubilization using herb-extracted sugars.

Kang completed his undergraduate studies and MSc in hydrogel drug carriers at China Pharmaceutical University, followed by a PhD from the National University of Singapore in 2006 on drug delivery. He then held a NUS-OPF postdoctoral fellowship at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology from 2007 to 2009, researching tissue engineering with microfabricated hydrogels. Returning to NUS as a lecturer until 2017, he joined the University of Sydney as a Lecturer that year, advancing to Senior Lecturer in 2020 and Associate Professor thereafter. His prolific output encompasses 3 books, 5 book chapters, 84 peer-reviewed journal articles (65 as first or corresponding author), over 80 abstracts, and 10 patent applications (5 granted, 3 licensed to companies including startups for drug testing, delivery, and 3D printing). Key publications include 'Microfluidics for drug discovery and development: from target selection to product lifecycle management' (Drug Discovery Today, 2008; 461 citations), '3D printed drug delivery and testing systems—a passing fad or the future?' (Advanced Drug Delivery Reviews, 2018; 310 citations), and 'Pharmaceutical applications of 3D printing' (Additive Manufacturing, 2020; 200 citations). With an h-index of 40 and over 4,600 Google Scholar citations, he ranks in the global top 2% of scientists (Stanford University, 2022-2025). Kang supervises postgraduate students, teaches undergraduate and postgraduate courses, and serves on the editorial board of Scientific Reports.