Pi Shanshan serves as an Associate Professor at Shenzhen University of Advanced Technology. She is the principal investigator of a National Natural Science Foundation of China (NSFC) Youth Fund project. Her primary research interests include the design and application of highly efficient artificial photosynthetic cells, pollutant valorization, and green biomanufacturing. Her work focuses on addressing scientific challenges and key technologies in waste-to-resource utilization through synthetic biology.

Education

2016–2021: Ph.D., Harbin Institute of Technology

2014–2016: Master’s Degree, Harbin Institute of Technology

2010–2014: Bachelor’s Degree, Heilongjiang University

Professional Experience

2024–Present: Associate Professor, Shenzhen University of Advanced Technology

2023–2024: Assistant Researcher, Shenzhen Institute of Advanced Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences

2021–2023: Postdoctoral Fellow, Harbin Institute of Technology (Shenzhen)

International Influence

Pi Shanshan has published her research as the first author in prestigious academic journals, including Nature Sustainability. She has co-authored over 20 SCI papers, with more than 900 citations in total. Her groundbreaking work has established a scalable pathway for synthesizing highly efficient artificial photosynthetic cells from industrial wastewater, enabling light-driven transformation of high-value pollutants.

Representative Publications

1.Pi, S. S., Yang, W. J., Feng, W., Yang, R. J., Chao, W. X., Cheng, W. B., Cui, L., Li, Z. D., Lin, Y. L., Ren, N. Q., Yang, C., Lu, L., Gao, X. (2023) Solar-driven waste-to-chemical conversion by wastewater-derived semiconductor biohybrids.Nature Sustainability.6: 1673-1684.

2.Yu, Y. J.,Pi, S. S., Ke, T., Zhou, B. Q., Chao, W. X., Yang, Y., Li, Z. D., Li, G. F., Gao, X., Lu, L. (2023) Non-genetic modulation of CO2 bio-valorization by an artificial soil-like material.ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces.15(46): 53488-53497. (Co-first author)

3.Chao, W. X.,Pi, S. S., Yang, Y., Li, Z. D., Yu, Y. J., Yang, Y., Yang, R. J., Li, H., Yu, H. Y., Lu, L. (2023) Solar-driven interfacial evaporation for decentralized direct potable reuse of domestic wastewater.Chemical Engineering Journal, 468, 143582.

4.Pi, S. S., Ma, F., Cui, D., Feng, L., Zhou, L., Li, A. (2021) Catalytic reduction of 4-nitrophenol by green silver nanocomposites assembled using microbial extracellular polymer substances.Environmental Research.197: 111006.

5.Pi, S. S., Li, A., Qiu, J. G., Feng, L., Zhou, L., Zhao, H.-P., Ma, F. (2021) Enhanced recovery of hexavalent chromium by remodeling extracellular polymeric substances through engineering Agrobacterium tumefaciens F2.Journal of Cleaner Production.2279: 123829.

6.Pi, S. S., Qiu, J. G., Li, A, Feng. L., Wu, D., Zhao, H-P., Ma, F. (2020) Uncovering the biosynthetic pathway of polysaccharide-based microbial flocculant in Agrobacterium tumefaciens F2. Applied Microbiology and Biotechnology, 104: 8479-8488.

7.Yang,J. X,Feng, L.,Pi, S. S.,Cui, D.,Ma, F.,Zhao, H-P.,Li, A. (2020) A critical review of aerobic denitrification: Insights into the intracellular electron transfer.Science of the Total Environment. 731 139080.

8.Pi, S. S., Li, A., Cui, D., Su, Z., Feng, L., Ma, F., Yang, J. X. (2019) Biosorption behavior and mechanism of sulfonamide antibiotics in aqueous solution on extracellular polymeric substances extracted from Klebsiella sp.J1.Bioresource Technology.272: 346-350.

9.Pi,S. S., Li, A., Cui, D., Su, Z., Zhou, L., Ma, F. (2019) Enhanced adsorption performance and regeneration of magnetic Fe3O4 nanoparticles assisted extracellular polymeric substances in sulfonamide-contaminated water.Environmental Science and Pollution Research, 27, 4866-4875.

10.Pi, S. S., Li, A., Wei, W., Feng, L., Zhang, G. S., Chen, T., Zhou, X., Sun, H. H., Ma, F. (2017) Synthesis of a novel magnetic nano-scale biosorbent using extracellular polymeric substances fromKlebsiella sp.J1 for tetracycline adsorption.Bioresource Technology.245: 471-476.

11.Wei,W., Li, A., Pi, S. S., Wang, Q. L., Zhou, L., Yang, J. X., Ma, F., Ni, B. J. (2018) Synthesis of core-shell magnetic nanocomposite Fe₃O₄@ microbial extracellular polymeric substances for simultaneous redox sorption and recovery of silver ions as silver nanoparticles. ACS Sustainable Chemistry & Engineering. 6, 749-756.

Material Synthetic Biology

Environmental Microbiology

Green Biomanufacturing