Role
Qimei Zhang is a senior lecturer in the Department of Engineering. Her research interests include novel applications of Fibre Bragg gratings, development of novel fabrication techniques for optical fibre biosensors, and biomedical optics imaging using hybrid optical and ultrasound techniques. She is the module leader of the modules ENGG10031 Electronics Devices and Materials Technology, and the ENGG20011 Biomedical Imaging and Sensing. She also contributes to supervise the individual final year projects.
Career overview
Qimei Zhang received the Bachelor’s degree in Electronic and Information Engineering from Beihang University, Beijing, China, in 2011. From 2012 to 2016 Qimei Zhang was working towards her PhD degree in Electrical and Electronics Engineering in University of Nottingham. Her research topic was Ultrasound mediated fluorescence tomography using contrast agents.
From October 2015 to March 2016, Qimei Zhang was working as a research fellow on biomedical optics simulation in the University of Nottingham. She then went on to work as a research fellow on photonics textiles in University of Nottingham in collaboration with industry partners. From November 2017 to April 2018, Qimei Zhang holds a Hermes fellowship from University of Nottingham developing a respiration and heart rate vest for monitoring in an MRI system. Since September 2018 Qimei Zhang joined the Nottingham Trent University as a lecturer in Biomedical and Electronics Engineering in the Department of Engineering. She has been senior lecturer since September 2019.
Research areas
Maternal monitoring: Qimei has a great interest in using Fibre Bragg grating sensors for monitoring important parameters of pregnant mothers during pregnancy. One of her projects in this field was supported by the Strategic Research Fund in the Nottingham Trent University.
Optical fibre biosensors: Qimei's main research focus is developing novel fabricating technologies for minimum invasive biosensors based on optical fibre technologies. She is interested in detecting and monitoring inflammatory conditions.
Novel applications of fibre Bragg grating sensors: Qimei worked on projects to investigate how Fibre Bragg grating sensors can be applied for vital physiological parameters monitoring for diagnostic, treatment purpose, or during sports activity during her post-doctoral period.
Hybrid optics and ultrasound imaging: Qimei worked on Ultrasound Mediated Fluorescence Tomography during her PhD. She worked on fluorophore labelled microbubble/liposome-based contrast agents to improve the contrast, resolution, and imaging depth of fluorescence imaging. She also worked on biomedical optics simulation.
Enquires are very welcome from those who are keen to pursue PhD and MPhil degrees in the areas of Optical Fibre Sensing. Please contact Qimei directly to discuss future opportunities. Further information may be obtained on the NTU Research Degrees website.
Sponsors and collaborators
Qimei has collaborated with research groups in the University of Nottingham, Queen's Medical Hospital and a few industrial collaborators including ABB (UK) and Footfalls and Heartbeats (UK).
Publications
Peer-reviewed journal papers:
- C.L. Abeywardena, Q. Zhang, S. Korposh, S.P. Morgan, S. Bull, R. Correia, Highly sensitive optical fibre Bragg grating contact pressure sensor embedded in a polymer layer: Modelling and experimental validation, Results in Optics, 2024, 100604, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rio.2024.100604
- Bradbury, J.A.; Zhang, Q.; Hernandez Ledezma, F.U.; Correia, R.; Korposh, S.; Hayes-Gill, B.R.; Tamoué, F.; Parnham, A.; McMaster, S.A.; Morgan, S.P., "Fibre Bragg Grating Based Interface Pressure Sensor for Compression Therapy". Sensors 2022, 22, 1798. https://doi.org/10.3390/s22051798
- Abeywardena, C.; Vanheusden, F.J.; Walker K. F.; Arm R.; Zhang, Q.,"Fetal Movement Counting Using Optical Fibre Sensors," Sensors, 2021, 21(1), 48; https://doi.org/10.3390/s21010048
- Zhang, Q.; Grabowska, A. M.; Clarke, P. A.; Morgan, S.P.,"Numerical Simulation of a Scanning Illumination System for Deep tissue Fluorescence Imaging," Journal of Imaging, 2019, 5(11), 83; https://doi.org/10.3390/jimaging5110083
- Zhang, Q.; Morgan, S. P.; Mather, M. L., “Nanoscale Ultrasound-Switchable FRET-Based Liposomes for Near-Infrared Fluorescence Imaging in Optically Turbid Media,” SMALL, 2017, 13, 1602895; https://doi.org/10.1002/smll.201602895
- Zhang, Q.; Moles, M. D.; O’Shea, P.; Morgan, S. P.; Mather, M. L., “Ultrasound Induced Fluorescence of Nanoscale Liposome Contrast Agents,” PLoS ONE, 2016,11(7), e0159742; https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0159742
- Zhang, Q.; Mather, M. L.; Morgan, S. P., "Numerical Investigation of the mechanisms of Ultrasound-modulated Bioluminescence Tomography," IEEE Transactions on Biomedical Engineering, 2015, 62(9), 2135-43; 10.1109/TBME.2015.2405415
Conference presentations:
- Zhang, Q.; Morgan, S. P.; Mather, M. L., “Nanoscale donor-acceptor labelled liposome contrast agent for ultrasound modulated fluorescence tomography,” SPIE Medical Imaging, San Diego, USA, Feb.2016.
- Zhang, Q.; Moles, M. D.; Mather M. L.; Morgan, S. P., “Ultrasound modulated fluorescence emission from Pyrene-labelled liposome contrast agents,” Twelfth International Conference on Photonics and Imaging in Biology and Medicine (PIBM 2014), Proc. SPIE Vol. 9230, Wuhan, China, Jun.2014.
- Zhang, Q.; Moles, M. D.; Mather M. L.; Morgan, S. P., “Ultrasound modulated optical tomography using liposomes as contrast agents,” Optics within Life Sciences 2014 (OWLS 2014), Ningbo, China, Jun.2014.
Press expertise
- Optical fibre sensors
- Medical device
- Ultrasound mediated optical tomography
- Fluorescence imaging