The PI

Dr. Zhang received her Ph.D. from the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST). After completing her doctorate, she worked as a postdoctoral researcher and later as a research scientist at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). She is now a Distinguished Professor of Engineering at Boston University (BU).

Dr. Zhang leads the Laboratory for Microsystems Technology (LMST) at Boston University, where she conducts pioneering research in metamaterials and microelectromechanical systems (MEMS or microsystems). Her recent work spans three distinct research themes, namely metamaterials and microsystems: 1. with tunable and nonlinear responses for photonic and optical applications; 2. for clinical medical imaging technologies; and 3. for acoustic silencing and noise reduction. She has published more than 200 journal papers.

Dr. Zhang’s recent research on metamaterials, both those that enable highly efficient, air-permeable sound silencing and noise reduction and those that markedly boost MRI signal-to-noise ratio and thus significantly improve the performance of MRI, has drawn significant worldwide interest from the scientific community and industry, with the stories having been picked up by hundreds of media and news outlets, as well as professional societies and industry communication platforms.

Dr. Zhang has served as Director of the NSF Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU Site) and Research Experiences for Teachers (RET Site) in Integrated Nanomanufacturing at Boston University, as well as Associate Director of the Boston University Nanotechnology Innovation Center (BUnano), roles she has held since 2015—reflecting over a decade of continuous leadership and impactful contributions to STEM education and outreach.

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