Dr Ying Zhu
- PhD, Chemistry, The University of New South Wales (UNSW), Australia (01/2015)
- Bachelor’s degree, Materials Science and Engineering, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, China (06/2009)
Dr Ying Zhu is a Senior Lecturer at the School of Biomedical Engineering, University of Technology Sydney (UTS), an Adjunct Fellow at the School of Clinical Medicine, UNSW Sydney, and the group leader of the Laboratory of In-Vitro NanoDiagnostics. She completed her PhD in optical biosensors in 2015 in Australia's leading biosensor and biodevice research group at UNSW, followed by postdoctoral training in clinical applications of biosensors at Dartmouth College's Thayer School of Engineering, US (2015–2017).
Ranked 3rd in Australia for nanoplasmonic biosensing (SciVal), Dr Zhu has produced 33 publications garnering >1,300 citations (h-index 20), including a top 1% highly cited paper cited in an international clinical guideline. She has secured $2.68M in research funding as lead investigator on all 10 projects, including an ARC DECRA (2024), Cancer Institute NSW Early Career Fellowship (2017), 3 PanKind Innovation Grants, and three UTS Capital Expenditure Bids in research infrastructure. Her international standing is recognised by the 2025 Royal Society of Chemistry Sensors and Diagnostics Emerging Investigator Award, invitations to speak at the ISEV Annual Meeting Education Day as one of only three Australian speakers, and iCANX Talks, reaching a global audience of 16,400.
Dr Zhu serves as founding Associate Editor for Biosensors and Biomolecular Electronics (Springer Nature), Associate Editor for Cytometry Part A (Wiley), the only Australian on the Board Reviewers panel of the Journal of Extracellular Vesicles and an affiliated researcher of the ARC Research Hub for Molecular Biosensors at Point-of-Use (MOBIUS). She has supervised 30+ students, with 3 PhD completions, and has mentored 3 early-career researchers to secure ARC DECRA fellowships.
- Publications
- Media
- Grants
- Awards
- Research Activities
- Engagement
- Teaching and Supervision
Dr Zhu has secured ~$2.68 M in funding, as lead CI on all funded projects. Below are the external funding.
- Ying Zhu, Single extracellular vesicle analysis to identify high-risk pancreatic cancer precursor lesions, Pankind Early Detection Grants, A$99,986, 2024
- Ying Zhu, Optical Metasurface for Single Small Extracellular Vesicle Analysis, ARC DECRA 2024, A$450,000, 2023
- Ying Zhu, Phoebe Phillips, Nham Tran, George Sharbeen, A blood test for early detection of pancreatic cancer by single extracellular vesicle analysis, Pankind Innovation Grants, A$99,697, 2022
- Ying Zhu, Yong Li, Phoebe Phillips, Peter J. Reece, Multiparameter analysis of exosomes for non-invasive early detection of pancreatic cancer using a point-of-care nanoplasmonic sensor, Pankind Innovation Grants, A$96,033, 2020
- Ying Zhu, Yong Li, Peter J. Reece, Chee Khoon Lee, Raymond Wong, Combining nanoplasmonic profiling with machine learning for non-invasive early detection of ovarian cancer using plasma exosomes, Ovarian Cancer Research Foundation, A$134,026, 2020
- Ying Zhu, Rapid isolation and analysis of circulating exosomes using label-free nanoplasmonic sensors for non-invasive breast cancer diagnostics, Cancer Institute NSW Early Career Fellowship, A$572,268, 2017-2020
- Emerging Investigator, Sensors & Diagnostics, Royal Society of Chemistry, 2025
- ARC Discovery Early Career Researcher Award, 2024-2026
- Young Investigator Award, Lion Club of Kogarah Inc., 2018,
- 1st Prize, Medical Research Symposium, St George & Sutherland Hospital, 2018
- Rising Star Award, Australian Association of Chinese Biomedical Scientists, 2018
- Cancer Institute NSW Early Career Fellowship, 2017-2020
- Chinese Government Award for Outstanding Students Abroad, 2014
- UNSW Tuition Fee Scholarship, 2011-2014
Dr Zhu's research develops next-generation molecular tools for precision diagnostics, harnessing the unique optical properties of nanoscale materials to generate molecular evidence that enables precise and timely clinical decisions. Currently, she leads two integrated research streams: building ultrasensitive nanophotonic biosensing platforms and applying these new analytical technologies to clinically meaningful new biomarkers, particularly extracellular vesicles (EVs)- nanoscale particles shed by tumour cells that carry molecular fingerprints of disease.
Dr Zhu's interdisciplinary approach spans chemistry, physics, materials science, nanotechnology, and biomedicine. She is committed to advancing innovative analytical technologies through highly collaborative, cross-disciplinary research, bridging the gap between molecular discovery and clinical impact.