>> Zhang Lab: Overview (homepage)

 Xin Zhang, Ph.D.
 Distinguished Professor of Engineering
 Guggenheim Fellowship
 Fellow of National Academy of Inventors
 Fellow of AAAS, AIMBE, APS, ASME, IEEE, and Optica
 Professor of Mechanical Engineering
 Professor of Electrical & Computer Engineering
 Professor of Biomedical Engineering
 Professor of Materials Science & Engineering
 Boston University, Boston, MA, United States
 Tel: +1 (617) 358-2702 | Email: xinz [at] bu [dot] edu
 [Research Website] · [Google Scholar] · [ORCID] · [Short CV]

      Overview        Prof. Xin Zhang        Group Background        Honors/Awards/Special Recognitions

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).

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.

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 (logos; quotes; images; articles).

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.

Honors and Awards: Dr. Zhang's major honors and awards include Guggenheim Fellowship (2022), ASME Per Bruel Gold Medal (2023), Sigma Xi Walston Chubb Award for Innovation (2023), ASME Robert Henry Thurston Lecture Award (2024), IEEE Sensors Council Technical Achievement Award (2016), IEEE Engineering in Medicine and Biology Society (EMBS) Technical Achievement Award (2023), and ASME Thomas A. Edison Patent Award (2025). She has also received the Innovation Award for Emerging Technology Design (2019) from the Institution of Engineering and Technology (IET) and the STAT Madness All-Star Award (2023), a national recognition of biomedical research excellence organized by STAT, a leading health and science news outlet; been selected as a Falling Walls Science Breakthroughs of the Year Finalist (2023 and 2024); recognized by Fast Company in its Innovation by Design Awards (2024) and World Changing Ideas Awards (2025); and named a Global Good Awards Finalist for Game Changing Innovation of the Year (2025). Dr. Zhang is a Member of the European Academy of Sciences and Arts, a Fellow of the National Academy of Inventors, AAAS, ASME, IEEE, AIMBE, APS, and Optica, and an Associate Fellow of AIAA.

List of Major Honors/Awards/Special Recognitions:

2025:  Global Good Awards – Game Changing Innovation of the Year Finalist
2025:  Fast Company World Changing Ideas Awards Honoree
2025:  ASME Thomas A. Edison Patent Award
2024:  Fast Company Innovation by Design Awards Honoree
2024:  ASME Robert Henry Thurston Lecture Award
2024:  Falling Walls Science Breakthroughs of the Year Finalist
2023:  Member, European Academy of Sciences and Arts
2023:  IET Excellence and Innovation Awards – International Award Finalist
2023:  Sigma Xi Walston Chubb Award for Innovation
2023:  Falling Walls Science Breakthroughs of the Year Finalist
2023:  IEEE Engineering in Medicine and Biology Society (EMBS) Technical Achievement Award
2023:  ASME Per Bruel Gold Medal
2023:  STAT Madness All-Star Award
2022:  IET Innovation Awards – Chief Engineer of the Year Finalist
2022:  Guggenheim Fellowship, John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation
2022:  Distinguished Professor of Engineering, Boston University
2021:  Rajen Kilachand Fund for Life Sciences and Engineering Award
2021:  IET Innovation Awards – Digital Health and Social Care Finalist
2021:  IET Innovation Awards – Tech for Good Finalist
2021:  Invented Here! Honoree, Boston Patent Law Association
2020:  IET Achievement Medal Finalist
2020:  Invented Here! Honoree, Boston Patent Law Association
2020:  IET Innovation Awards – Excellence in R&D Finalist
2019:  Fellow, National Academy of Inventors
2019:  IET Innovation Awards – Emerging Technology Design Winner
2019:  Fellow, American Physical Society (APS)
2018:  Boston University Innovator of the Year Award
2018:  Charles DeLisi Award and Distinguished Lecture
2017:  Fellow, Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE)
2017:  Associate Fellow, American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA)
2016:  Fellow, American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS)
2016:  IEEE Sensors Council Technical Achievement Award (Advanced Career)
2016:  Fellow, American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering (AIMBE)
2016:  Fellow, Optica (formerly The Optical Society, OSA)
2015:  Fellow, American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME)
2011:  E.U.-U.S. National Academy of Engineering Invitee (ages 30—45)
2009:  Inaugural Distinguished Faculty Fellow, College of Engineering, Boston University
2007:  National Academy of Engineering Invitee (ages 30—45)

Back to Zhang Lab Homepage