Zack Shan

Associate Professor Zack Shan is a biomedical engineer and academic at the Thompson Institute of the University of the Sunshine Coast (UniSC), Queensland, Australia. Specializing in brain imaging and machine learning applications, his research focuses on integrative translational neuroimaging to understand neurological and mental disorders, particularly Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (ME/CFS).

• Education: PhD from Cleveland State University/Cleveland Clinic Foundation, MS in Chemistry from The Chinese Academy of Sciences, BSc (Hons) from Southeast University.
• Role: Head of Neuroimaging Platform at the Thompson Institute.
• Research: Developing predictive brain models for ME/CFS diagnosis and prognosis, investigating brain energy supplies, and autonomic regulation.
• Grants: NHMRC Ideas Grant ($1.27M), Mason Foundation ($354k), ME Research UK (£419k).
• Teaching: Supervising Honours and PhD students in neuroimaging techniques and machine learning applications.

His work combines multimodal MRI, machine learning, and deep learning to identify neuroimaging biomarkers for ME/CFS and mental health disorders. Recent studies highlight the role of white matter alterations in ME/CFS subtypes and brain fingerprinting for early mental health risk prediction.

Key contributions include:

• First neuroimaging study of brain energy supplies in ME/CFS.
• Development of geometric eigenmode brain fingerprinting for longitudinal mental health analysis.
• Investigations into neuroimmune interactions using MRI.