Professor Xin Zhang

Xin Zhang, Ph.D.

Distinguished Professor of Engineering

Guggenheim Fellow · Fellow of NAI, AAAS, AIMBE, APS, ASME, IEEE, and Optica

Professor of Mechanical Engineering; Electrical & Computer Engineering; Biomedical Engineering; Materials Science & Engineering

Boston University, Boston, MA 02215

xinz [at] bu [dot] edu · (617) 358-2702

Google Scholar | ORCID | Short CV

1. Professional Background

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).

2. Research Themes

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.

3. Recent Research

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.

4. Education and Outreach

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.

5. Honors and Awards

Dr. Zhang’s major honors and awards include election as an ASME Honorary Member, the Guggenheim Fellowship, the ASME Per Bruel Gold Medal, the Sigma Xi Walston Chubb Award for Innovation, the ASME Thomas A. Edison Patent Award, the IEEE EMBS Technical Achievement Award, the ASME Robert Henry Thurston Lecture Award, and the IEEE Sensors Council Technical Achievement Award. Her work has also been recognized through TIME Best Inventions, Fast Company’s Innovation by Design Awards and World Changing Ideas Awards, the STAT Madness All-Star Award, and the IET Innovation Award for Emerging Technology Design. She is a Member of the European Academy of Sciences and Arts and a Fellow of the National Academy of Inventors, AAAS, ASME, IEEE, AIMBE, APS, and Optica, and an Associate Fellow of AIAA. [PNG]

(1). Major Honors, Awards & Career Distinctions

2026: ASME Honorary Member

2022: Guggenheim Fellowship

2023: ASME Per Bruel Gold Medal

2023: Sigma Xi Walston Chubb Award for Innovation

2025: ASME Thomas A. Edison Patent Award

2023: IEEE EMBS Technical Achievement Award

2024: ASME Robert Henry Thurston Lecture Award

2016: IEEE Sensors Council Technical Achievement Award (Advanced Career)

(2). Innovation, Societal Impact & Public Recognition

2025: TIME Best Inventions Honoree

2026: Fast Company World Changing Ideas Awards Honoree

2025: Fast Company World Changing Ideas Awards Honoree

2024: Fast Company Innovation by Design Awards Honoree

2023: STAT Madness All-Star Award

2025: Global Good Awards — Game Changing Innovation of the Year Award

2024: Falling Walls Science Breakthroughs of the Year Finalist

2023: Falling Walls Science Breakthroughs of the Year Finalist

2019: IET Innovation Awards — Emerging Technology Design Winner

(3). Academies, Fellowships & Professional Societies

2023: Member, European Academy of Sciences and Arts

2019: Fellow, National Academy of Inventors (NAI)

2016: Fellow, American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS)

2015: Fellow, American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME)

2017: Fellow, Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE)

2016: Fellow, American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering (AIMBE)

2019: Fellow, American Physical Society (APS)

2016: Fellow, Optica (formerly The Optical Society, OSA)

2017: Associate Fellow, American Institute of Aeronautics & Astronautics (AIAA)

(4). Entrepreneurship, Startup & Venture Recognition

2025: Global Prize Winner, Pitch2Tokyo Global Pitch Competition

2025: Winner (DeepTech), Massachusetts Innovation Network “Eddies” Award

2024: Fifth Place (Global), TiE University Global Competition

2024: Top Innovator, New England Venture Summit

2024: Top 10 Finalist, MassChallenge Community Choice Award

2025: First Place, Yale Innovation Summit Poster Competition

2024: Winner, Pitch2Tokyo Regional Competition (Venture Café Cambridge)

2024: First Place, UMass Lowell M2D2 IMPACT Accelerator Pitch-Off

2024: First Place, TiE University Boston Pitch Competition

(5). International Finalist Honors & Special Recognitions

2023: IET Excellence and Innovation Awards — International Award Finalist

2022: IET Innovation Awards — Chief Engineer of the Year Finalist

2020: IET Achievement Medal Finalist

2021: IET Innovation Awards — Digital Health and Social Care Finalist

2021: IET Innovation Awards — Tech for Good Finalist

2020: IET Innovation Awards — Excellence in R&D Finalist

2021: Invented Here! Honoree, Boston Patent Law Association

2020: Invented Here! Honoree, Boston Patent Law Association

(6). Institutional Honors & Distinguished Recognition

2022: Distinguished Professor of Engineering, Boston University

2018: Boston University Innovator of the Year Award (First Woman Chosen)

2021: Rajen Kilachand Fund for Life Sciences and Engineering Award

2018: Charles DeLisi Award and Distinguished Lecture

2011: E.U.-U.S. National Academy of Engineering Invitee (ages 30—45)

2009: Inaugural Distinguished Faculty Fellow of Engineering, Boston University

2007: National Academy of Engineering Invitee (ages 30—45)

(7). Major Media Features & Global Coverage

◆ Making the World a Lot Quieter

◆ No More Noise: Metamaterials Can Make the World a Quieter Place

◆ This Smarter Sound Shield Blocks More Noise–Without Blocking Air

◆ Fast Company Names Sound Shield a “World Changing Idea”

◆ Magnetic Metamaterial Can “Turn Up the Volume” of MRI

◆ Speeding Up MRI Scans to Save Lives

◆ This Bizzarre Looking Helmet Can Create Better Brain Scans

◆ Unleashing the Power of Metamaterials to Improve MRI Imaging

◆Making MRI More Globally Accessible: How Metamaterials Offer Affordable, High-Impact Solutions

◆ American Scientist: Custom-Tuned Materials

◆ Revolutionizing MRI Restoration with Transformer Technology

◆ Can We Train AI to Read an MRI?