Rongzhen obtained his PhD in fermentation engineering from Jiangnan University and was a postdoc at the MRC-LMB in Cambridge, where he was awarded the Joan A. Steitz Postdoc Prize for outstanding work. His key contribution was the development of an orthogonal replication system that enables the accelerated evolution of targeted genes in E. coli.

In recent work Rongzhen has demonstrated the evolution of targeted genes in E. coli at rates up to a million times faster than natural evolution. He has also shown (with Fabian Rehm) that the accelerated evolution system is portable to other bacteria. In particular, this research has shown that the system can be ported to the fastest-growing organism currently known (Vibrio natriegens). The combination of extremely rapid targeted mutation with the fastest growth rate has enabled the evolution of new function (antibiotic resistance from a gene) within 16 hours.

At GBI, Rongzhen is developing and applying the accelerated evolution systems to generate new enzymes and other complex biological functions.

Rongzhen is also the co-founder and CEO of Okapi Bio, a new company established to develop biomolecules to tackle challenges in human-health and industry.