Leo Zhang

Leo Zhang is a Postdoctoral Research Fellow at the School of Mathematical and Physical Sciences, University of Technology Sydney (UTS). He holds roles as ARC LIEF Facility Manager (co-CI) and Associated Investigator (AI) in the ARC Centre of Excellence in QUBIC. His research focuses on AI-assisted super-resolution imaging of intracellular organelles and organelle mechanosensation. He has led projects on advanced imaging technologies for trace biomarker detection and antibiotic resistance mechanisms, with $3.1M in grant funding.

Education:

• PhD in Biophotonics and Cell Biology (UTS, 2017–2021)
• MSc in Pharmaceutical Science (Rutgers University, 2014–2016)

Research Interests: Zhang’s work bridges basic science and translational technology. Key areas include:

• Super-resolution microscopy for bacterial DNA repair
• Upconversion nanoparticles for rapid viral antigen tests (e.g., Virulizer™)
• AI integration in imaging systems
• Antibiotic resistance mechanisms in bacteria

Grants & Collaborations:

• ARC LIEF Grant (LE250100063, facility manager)
• IMCRC Program Grant (co-CI)
• Partnerships with Alcolizer Technology, Lastek Pty Ltd, and Nikon/Olympus

Awards:

• Commercialisation Award (ARC IDEAL, 2023)
• Best New Invention (KCA Australasian Awards, 2023)
• UTS Chancellor’s Research Award (2023)

Labs & Teams: Leads the bioimaging research theme at IBMD and manages the National Imaging Facility. Co-founded the Virulizer™ technology commercialized by Alcolizer, creating 20 jobs. Serves as Guest Editor for Cytometry Part A.