2013-present NYU Shanghai and New York University
2011-present Professor of Physics and Mathematics
2007-2011 Associate Professor of Physics and Mathematics
2001-2007 Assistant Professor of Physics and Mathematics
2001-present Co-director of the Applied Math Lab, Courant Institute
1998-2001 Research Scientist, Courant Institute, New York University
1995-1998 Postdoctoral Fellow, Libchaber Lab, Rockefeller University
1991-1994 Ph.D. in Physics, Niels Bohr Institute, University of Copenhagen
1989-1990 Ph.D. candidate, Racah Institute, Hebrew University of Jerusalem

Research Interests:
Biomechanics and biophysics: biological locomotion (swimming, flying, walking and etc.)
Lab-scale experiments on geophysical dynamics (thermal convection, continental drift models)
Dynamical and compliant boundary problems in fluid flows: e.g.: dynamics of flapping flags
Self-organizing phenomena at microscopic and macroscopic scales, with feedback, with noise
Pattern formation and nonlinear dynamics in complex systems: patterns of fluid flows
Applications in Newtonian and complex fluids: pumping, mixing and redistribution of fluids

Honors and notable mentions:
Foreign Member of the Academia Europaea (MAE) 2024
APS Fellow 2017 (Division of Fluid Dynamics)
The Holiday Lecture of Courant Institute, NYU, Dec. 2015
Antarctica Service Medal, by National Science Foundation 2015
Work-related trips to Arctic (Svalbard, 2008) and Antarctic (Palmer station, 2014) areas
Nature magazine coverage on our experimental works (2000, 2002, 2004 and 2008)
Featured in popular science and non-science journals such as Physics Today,
Physics World, New Scientist, Science News, The Economist and New York Times.
BBC Radio (2000) and ABC Evening News with Peter Jennings (TV), 2003.
Free-lance illustrator for magazines, 1986-1989.

Wang KZ and Zhang J. ``Persistent corotation of the large-scale flow of thermal convection and an immersed free body," PNAS 120, e2217705120 (2023)

Hu SY, Chu JJ, Shelley M and Zhang J. ``Levy walks and path chaos in the dispersal of elongated structures moving across cellular vortical flows," Phys. Rev. Lett. 127, 074503 (2021)

Brosseau, Usabiaga, Lushi, Wu, Ristroph, Zhang, Ward, and Shelley ``Relating rheotaxis and hydrodynamic actuation using asymmetric gold-platinum phoretic rods," Phys. Rev. Lett. 123, 178004 (2019)

Amin K, Huang J, Hu, KJ, Zhang J and Ristroph L. ``The role of shape-dependent flight stability in the origin of oriented meteorites," PNAS 116, 16180 (2019)

Newbolt J, Zhang J, and Ristroph L. ``Flow interactions between uncoordinated flapping swimmers give rise to group cohesion," PNAS 116, 2419 (2019)

Zhang J. ``Footprints of a flapping wing," Journal of Fluid Mechanics 818, 1-4 (2017)

Ristroph L, Liao J, and Zhang J. ``Lateral Line Layout Correlates with the Differential Hydrodynamic Pressure on Swimming Fish," Phys. Rev. Lett. 114, 018102 (2015)

Takagi D, Braunschweig A, Zhang J, and Shelley M. ``Dispersion of self-propelled rods undergoing fluctuation-driven flips," Phys. Rev. Lett. 110, 038301 (2013)

Ristroph L, Moore N, Childress S, Shelley M, and Zhang J, ``Sculpting of an erodible body by flowing water," PNAS 109, 19606 (2012)

Liu B, Ristroph L, Weathers A, Childress S, and Zhang J. ``Intrinsic stability of a body hovering in an oscillating airflow," Phys. Rev. Lett. 108, 068103 (2012)

Shelley M, and Zhang J. ``Flapping and bending bodies interacting with fluid flows," Annual Review of Fluid Mechanics 43, 449 (2011)

Liu B, Shelley M, and Zhang J. ``Focused force transmission through an aqueous suspension of granules," Phys. Rev. Lett. 105, 188301 (2010)

Ristroph L, Zhang J. ``Anomalous hydrodynamic drafting of interacting flapping flags," Phys. Rev. Lett. 101, 194502 (2008)

Liu B, Zhang J. ``Self-induced cyclic organizations of free bodies in thermal convection," Phys. Rev. Lett. 100, 244501 (2008)

Zhong J.-Q., Zhang J. ``Dynamical states of a mobile heat blanket on a thermally convecting fluid," Phys. Rev. E 75, R055301 (2007)

Jung S, Mareck K, Shelley M, and Zhang J. ``Dynamics of a deformable body in a fast flowing soap film," Phys. Rev. Lett. 97, 134502 (2006)

Shelley M, Vandenberghe N and Zhang J. ``Heavy flags undergo spontaneous oscillations in flowing water," Phys. Rev. Lett. 94, 094302 (2005)

Vandenberghe N, Zhang J, and Childress S. ``Symmetry breaking leads to forward flapping flight," Journal of Fluid Mechanics, 506, 147-155 (2004)

Alben S, Shelley M, and Zhang J. ``Drag reduction through self-similar bending of a flexible body," Nature 420, 479-481 (2002)

Zhang J, Childress S, Libchaber A, and Shelley M. ``Flexible filaments in a flowing soap film as a model for one-dimensional flags in a two-dimensional wind," Nature 408, 835-839 (2000)

Zhang J, Libchaber A. ``Periodic boundary motion in thermal turbulence," Phys. Rev. Lett. 84, 4361-4364 (2000)

Zhang J, Childress S, and Libchaber A. ``Non-Boussinesq effect: Thermal convection with broken symmetry," Phys. Fluids 9, 1034-1042 (1997)

Zhang J, Zhang Y.-C., Alstrom P, and Levinsen M. T., ``Modeling forest fire by a paper-burning experiment: a realization of the interface growth mechanism," Physica A 189, 383-389 (1992)

Contact information:
NYU Shanghai, Research Institutes of Physics, Mathematics at ECNU/NYUSH
567 West Yang-Si Road, Pudong District, Shanghai, China

Or (if in NYC): Dept. of Physics and Courant Institute, New York University
Telephone: 212 998 7776 (office); 212 998 3239 (lab)
Mailing address: 251 Mercer Street, New York, NY 10012, USA

A complete CV is available upon request.

Personal Homepage: http://physics.nyu.edu/jz11/

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