Prof. Tuck Seng Wong Professor of Biomanufacturing | Director of the UK-SEA Vax Hub The University of Sheffield

Bio

TSW is Professor of Biomanufacturing at the University of Sheffield (UK), where he leads the £7.6M UK–Southeast Asia Vaccine Manufacturing Research Hub (UK-SEA Vax Hub) and serves as Deputy Director of the £38M National Alternative Protein Innovation Centre (NAPIC). He also holds adjunct appointments at BIOTEC (Thailand) and the Bandung Institute of Technology (Indonesia), reflecting his strong international engagement. He has received several prestigious fellowships, including the Royal Academy of Engineering (RAEng) | Leverhulme Trust Senior Research Fellowship (2019), RAEng Industrial Fellowship (2016), MRC Career Development Fellowship (2007), and JSPS Invitational Fellowship (2023). Under his leadership, the UK-SEA Vax Hub was recognised with the IChemE Global Award in the Biopharma category and the Bionow Social Impact Award (both 2025). With over two decades of expertise in protein engineering and engineering biology, his research spans biopharmaceutical development, enzyme biocatalysis, and sustainable protein production. He is the author of A Practical Guide to Protein Engineering (ISBN: 978-3-030-56898-6), which has been translated into German (ISBN: 978-3-031-32826-8). TSW is also an academic entrepreneur, co-founding Evolutor Ltd (2022), which develops microbial strains for biomanufacturing through accelerated evolution, and ReNewFood Ltd (2024), which focuses on protein-based flavour ingredients for alternative foods. A dedicated mentor, he has coached University of Sheffield iGEM teams to international success, including a Gold Medal and Best Open Project (2019), and an Impact Grant, Gold Medal, and Best Hardware nomination (2022). His career has been shaped by mentorship from leading scientists, including Nobel Laureate Prof. Frances H. Arnold, Prof. Ulrich Schwaneberg, Prof. Sir Alan Fersht, and Prof. Alexander Steinbüchel.