Dr. Xu Zhang

Associate Professor

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Biography

Xu Zhang is an Associate Professor in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at Carnegie Mellon University, having joined CMU in 2019 as a tenure-track assistant professor. Prior to this, he worked as an Argonne Scholar at Argonne National Laboratory from 2018 to 2019 and as a Postdoctoral Associate at MIT's Microsystems Technology Laboratories from 2017 to 2018. He earned his Ph.D. and M.S. degrees in Electrical Engineering and Computer Science from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and his B.S. in Physics from the University of Science and Technology of China. His research lab explores the frontiers of electronics and optoelectronics, focusing on two-dimensional materials, advanced nanofabrication, and material-device co-design. Dr. Zhang's work aims to uncover fundamental scientific principles and develop transformative technologies for next-generation semiconductor devices and computing platforms. His contributions have been recognized with several honors, including the National Science Foundation CAREER Award in 2023, the MIT Technology Review Innovators 35 (Global) in 2022, and the MIT Technology Review Innovators 35 (China) in 2019.

Research Interests

Experience

Argonne Scholar

— Present

Argonne National Laboratory •

Worked on advanced electronics and optoelectronics research.

Postdoctoral Associate

— Present

MIT’s Microsystems Technology Laboratories •

Conducted research in electronics and material-device co-design.

Awards

#2023

National Science Foundation CAREER Award

#2022

MIT Technology Review Innovators 35 (Global)

#2019

MIT Technology Review Innovators 35 (China)

#2018

Enrico Fermi Fellowship

#2014

MIT Global Fellowship

#2010

MIT Presidential Fellowship

Requirements for Carnegie Mellon University

Doctorate Program
Requirements
GPA Requirement
Required:3.5
GRE General
Verbal
Required:158
Quantitative
Required:149
Analytical Writing
Required:4
Overall
Required:4
Prerequisites
Bachelor's degree in Psychology or related field Research experience/publications
Application Checklist
  • Online application
  • Statement of Purpose
  • Three letters of recommendation
  • Transcripts
  • GRE scores (optional but reported in profile)
  • English Proficiency (TOEFL/IELTS/Duolingo)
Specialization Notes

Admission is extremely competitive with no strict GPA cut-offs; holistic review is used.