Leading a team of analytical chemists and chemical biologists, Prof. Zhong’s research is mainly focused on: 1) development of highthroughput liquid biopsy techniques for precision disease diagnosis; 2) establishment of automated analytical chemistry platforms to improve discovery of disease markers and molecular recognition probes; and 3) assembly of AI-empowered droplet arrays to investigate molecular interactions. Overall, the techniques and platforms developed by her team will help enhance precision medicine and deepen our understanding of the structure-function relationship of biomolecules.

Professor Zhong obtained her B.S. degree from the University of Science and Technology of China (USTC) and Ph.D. from Iowa State University. After working as a postdoctoral researcher at the Los Alamos National Lab, she joined the University of California-Riverside (UCR) and promoted to tenured, full professor in 2016. She came back to USTC in 2024, and now is a professor of the State Key Laboratory of Precision and Intelligent Chemistry and the School of Chemistry and Materials Science. Her work has been published in internationally renowned journals such as Nature Chemistry, Journal of the American Chemical Society, Angewandte Chemie International Edition, Nucleic Acids Research, Chemical Science, Environmental Science & Technology, and Analytical Chemistry. Professor Zhong received the NSF CAREER Award and the Chancellor’s Award for Excellence in Undergraduate Research at the University of California, Riverside. While working as a faculty member at the University of California-Riverside, she served as a grant reviewer for the U.S. National Science Foundation, the U.S. National Institutes of Health, and the Research Grants Council of Hong Kong. She also serves as the reviewer for multiple peer-reviewed scientific journals; and has organized and chaired many analytical chemistry symposia at several international conferences. Currently, she is the Editor for Analytical and Bioanalytical Chemistry (Springer Nature), and the Topic Editor for Precision Chemistry (American Chemical Society).

1.Y. Sun, F. Xu, H. Liang, X. Fan, G. Wan, W. Zhong,*, Jun Jiang,* X. Li,*, & L. Chen*. MOSES: combining automated ontology construction with a multi-agent system for explainable chemical knowledge reasoning. AI for Science, 2026, 2, 015001. DOI 10.1088/3050-287X/ae3127.

2.Z. Li, M. Guo, W. Zhong*. Multiplex Detection of Biomarkers Empowered by Nanomaterials. Precision Chemistry, 2025, 3, 297-318.

3.J. Chen, P. Fasihianifard, R. Lian, L. Gibson-Elias, J. Moreno Jr., C.-E. A. Chang, W. Zhong*, and R. J. Hooley*. Supramolecular Host:Guest Arrays Site-Selectively Recognize Peptide Phosphorylation and Kinase Activity. Journal of American Chemical Society, 2025, 147, 1, 841–850. DOI:10.1021/jacs.4c13757.

4.Z. Li, K. Guo, Z. Gao, J. Chen, Z. Ye, S. E. Wang, Y. Yin, W. Zhong*. Colocalization of Protein and microRNA Markers Reveals Unique Extracellular Vesicle Sub-Populations for Early Cancer Detection. Science Advances, 2024, 10, eadh8689. 

5.R. Coreas, Z. Li, W. Zhong*. Low Dose Exposure of WS2 Nanosheets Induces Differential Apoptosis in Lung Epithelial Cells. Environmental Science & Technology, 2023, 57, 14493–14501.

6.W. Zhong, R. J. Hooley. Combining Excellent Selectivity with Broad Target Scope: Biosensing with Arrayed Deep Cavitand Hosts. Accounts of Chemical Research, 2022, 55, 7, 1035–1046.

7.J. Chen, B. L. Hickey, L. Wang, J. Lee, A. D. Gill, A. Favero, R. Pinalli, E. Dalcanale, R. J. Hooley* and W. Zhong*. Selective discrimination and classification of G-quadruplex structures with a host–guest sensing array. Nature Chemistry, 2021, 13(5):488-495.

8.L. Wang, J. Lee, L. Gao, J. Yin, Y. Duan, L. A. Jimenez, G. B. Adkins, W. Ren, L. Li, J. Fang, Y. Wang, J. Song*, W. Zhong*. A DNA aptamer for binding and inhibition of DNA methyltransferase 1. Nucleic Acids Research, 2019, 47, 11527-11537.

9.W. Shen, K. Guo, G. B. Adkins, Q. Jiang, Y. Liu, S. Sedano, Y. Duan, W. Yan, S. E. Wang, K. Bergersen, D. Worth, E. H. Wilson, W. Zhong*. A Single Extracellular Vesicle (EV) Flow Cytometry Approach to Reveal EV Heterogeneity. Angewandte Chemie, International Edition, 2018, 57, 15675-15680.