Tony Zhang is the cofounder and CEO of Tyligand Bioscience, a Shanghai based biotech focused on the discovery and development of small molecule therapeutics and their conjugates for oncology and autoimmune diseases.  Prior to founding Tyligand, he has served at Eli Lilly USA for 25 years with escalating responsibilities, including Senior Research Fellow of Small Molecular Design and Development, founding Managing Director of Eli Lilly China R&D; and Vice President of Lilly Global External R&D, Asia. He obtained his PhD degree from Purdue University in 1992 under the tutelage of Professor Ei-ichi Negishi (Nobel laureate 2010).  

Dr. Zhang has led multi-disciplined teams in drug discovery and development across several therapeutic areas, and has published more than 60 peer reviewed articles and monographs in the fields of synthetic, medicinal and process chemistry, and pharmaceutical product design. He is the inventor for over 40 patents and designer for many commercial manufacturing processes. He has authored numerous popular science articles, sharing his insights into the evolution of the pharmaceutical ecosystem.

Dr. Zhang has served as an editorial advisory board member for Organic Process Research and Development and several other journals, an advisor to multiple investment firms and non-profit organizations; Chair of the 2nd China Summit on Pharmaceutical and Green Chemistry; and adjunct professor at several universities. He was elected as the Chairman of BayHelix Group (a leadership organization for the healthcare industry across China and the US) 2009-2011. He was a recipient of the Eli Lilly ‘s highest honor,  Chairman’s Ovation Award in 2006 for contributions to R&D Productivity, and the Purdue University Distinguished Alumni Award in 2010.