Mark Zheng

Mark Zheng is the Associate Director for Academic Research Operations at NYU Tandon School of Engineering, where he leads and manages operational functions that enable the School’s research, teaching, safety, compliance, and laboratory growth. His work spans research operations, academic support staffing, laboratory planning, shared research infrastructure, emergency readiness, and coordination with faculty, departments, Campus Planning, Facilities, Environmental Health and Safety, and external partners.

Since joining Tandon, Mark has helped strengthen Lab Operations as an active management and planning function for the School’s expanding research enterprise. He has led and contributed to laboratory startups, renovations, closeouts, instructional lab support, shared facility operations, safety and compliance initiatives, and business continuity planning across a growing and increasingly complex laboratory portfolio. He has also advanced operational tools and workflows that improve visibility, coordination, space and personnel planning, access management, issue tracking, and institutional response.

Mark plays an active role in enabling Tandon’s growth in advanced research areas including quantum research, nanofabrication, biomedical engineering, tissue culture, chemical and biomolecular engineering, robotics, AI, and shared instrumentation. By translating emerging research needs into operational, infrastructure, safety, and compliance requirements, he helps accelerate startup timelines, protect research continuity, and reduce institutional risk.

Mark holds a Ph.D. in Chemistry from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute and brings broad experience across academic research, teaching, laboratory operations, technology development, commercialization, and consulting. Prior to Tandon, he served as a Visiting Assistant Professor of Practice at NYU Shanghai and held private-sector leadership roles, including General Manager and Head of Technology at a technology startup, where he helped secure multi-million-dollar funding, build research and production capabilities, and advance product commercialization.