Zhongwei Chen has made a number of seminal contributions in materials engineering and electrochemical energy systems, including fuel cells, lithium-ion batteries and zinc-air batteries. His work has been recognized through multiple awards and distinctions in Canada and internationally, including the 2016 E.W.R Steacie Memorial Fellowship, member of the Royal Society of Canada's College of New Scholars, Artists and Scientists, a finalist for the R&D 100's Most Technologically Significant New Products of the Year 2015 Award and others. He has also made distinct engineering contributions by technology application and commercialization, with 16 patents/provisional patents (two licensed to international companies and another three forming the core technology of two Canadian startups with $20M venture funding). He is currently a professor at the University of Waterloo.