Professional Summary
Guannan Zhang is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Biomedical Engineering within the College of Engineering and Applied Science at the University of Cincinnati. She earned her undergraduate degree in applied chemistry from Tianjin University and her Ph.D. in physical chemistry from Texas A&M University, where she developed rapid, multidimensional hyperpolarized 13C NMR methods to investigate molecular structure, reaction kinetics, and metabolite transport. During her postdoctoral training at Duke University, Dr. Zhang expanded her expertise in hyperpolarized spin physics by developing long-lived 15N-labeled molecular tags for monitoring slow biochemical processes. She continued her research career at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center. There, she broadened her expertise in cancer metabolism, biomedical research, and magnetic resonance imaging by developing multinuclear metabolic MRI techniques, including hyperpolarized 13C MRI and deuterium metabolic imaging, to investigate in vivo metabolic dynamics for cancer diagnosis and treatment monitoring.
Dr. Zhang’s research program lies at the intersection of MRI method development and biomedical applications. She develops hyperpolarized 13C MRI methods and applications to enable quantitative measurements of metabolism and molecular transport beyond the capabilities of existing approaches. Her interdisciplinary research also explores multinuclear metabolic imaging probes, including 2H-labeled molecules, to investigate metabolic dysfunction in disease. Together, these efforts translate methodological innovations into new tools for studying cancer and metabolic disorders.
Education
Ph.D.: Texas A&M University TX, 2017 (Physical Chemistry)
Research and Practice Interests
Multinuclear Metabolic MRI, hyperpolarized 13C MRI, MRI method development, molecular imaging, applications in cancer metabolism and metabolic disorders
Positions and Work Experience
2017 -2020 Postdoctoral Associate, Department of Chemistry, Duke University, Durham, NC
2020 -2022 Research Fellow/Associate, Department of Radiology, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York City, NY
2022 -2026 Senior Research Scientist, Department of Radiology, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York City, NY