Xuan Zhang

Xuan Zhang serves as Associate Professor in Electrical and Computer Engineering at Northeastern University, leading the Sensory AI Lab since joining in January 2024. Her research bridges computer architecture, integrated circuits, and artificial intelligence to develop miniaturized AI systems for autonomous physical platforms.

She earned her PhD in Electrical and Computer Engineering from Cornell University in 2012. Her educational background forms the foundation for her interdisciplinary work spanning hardware and software co-design.

Dr. Zhang's research focuses on artificial intelligence hardware, machine vision sensors, and security for autonomous systems. She pioneers techniques for efficient in-sensor computing, analog circuit optimization via machine learning, and hardware-level privacy preservation. Her work addresses critical challenges in energy efficiency, robustness, and security for edge AI deployment, particularly in resource-constrained environments like medical devices and autonomous vehicles.

Analysis of her 2023-2025 publications reveals three dominant trends: (1) hardware-accelerated privacy mechanisms for sensors, (2) machine learning-driven analog circuit design automation, and (3) energy-efficient architectures for neural network inference. These works consistently target real-world applications in healthcare, autonomous systems, and semiconductor design.

Her accolades include the prestigious NSF CAREER Award (2020) and leadership in a $10 million federal semiconductor initiative. She contributes to national efforts in AI-powered chip design through the National Center for the Advancement of Semiconductor Technology.

Dr. Zhang advises graduate researchers in the Sensory AI Lab, securing significant funding for projects spanning hardware security, in-sensor computing, and autonomous system assurance. Her lab collaborates with federal agencies and industry partners on cutting-edge semiconductor research.

The Sensory AI Lab operates at the hardware-software interface, developing novel architectures for intelligent edge devices. Current projects include optical privacy preservation, robust analog design tools, and energy modeling frameworks for in-sensor visual computing systems.