Elric Zhang

Hailing from Charleston, South Carolina (USA), Dr. Elric Zhang received his bachelor’s degree in Materials Science and Engineering from the University of California, Los Angeles. There he trained in the research lab of Dr. Qibing Pei, studying polymeric artificial muscles and nanoparticle-based display technologies. After two years in industry, Elric then pursued his doctorate degree in Electrical and Computer Engineering at the University of Miami. There he worked on developing a bidirectional, non-surgical neuromodulation methodology as part of the DARPA N3 program, using magnetoelectric nanoparticles as the core technology.

His work mainly concerned the materials synthesis and functionalization aspects of the nanoparticles, as well as the adaptations needed for biological environments and multi-channel magnetic control mechanisms. Throughout his PhD., Dr. Zhang helped advance the technology from early in vitro experiments to in vivo NHP experiments. Near the end of his PhD., he also participated in the early stages of studying anti-cancer effects stemming from magnetoelectric based nano-electroporation.

Dr. Zhang joined MSRL at ETH Zurich in April 2024 as a Postdoctoral Researcher to work on further developing the healthcare applications of magnetoelectric and magnetic nanoparticles, especially for traditionally challenging diseases. His primary research interests center around magnetic nanoparticles, nanoscale composites, and nanoscale characterization.