Zhenyun Qian
Associate Research Professor,
Electrical and Computer Engineering
Contact
- qian.z@northeastern.edu
- 406 ISEC
360 Huntington Avenue
Boston, Massachusetts 02115
Office
- 617.373.2751
About
Zhenyun Qian received his B.S. degree in Electronic Science and Engineering from Southeast University, Nanjing, China, in 2011, the M.S. and Ph.D. degree in Electrical and Computer Engineering from Northeastern University, Boston, MA, in 2013 and 2017, respectively. His research interests include piezoelectric/thermo-mechanical transducers, 2D materials enhanced NEMS devices, low-power/zero-power sensors, MEMS-based optical switches, and flexible electronics. He has published more than 40 papers in the field of MEMS/NEMS. Zhenyun Qian was the recipient of the Outstanding Paper Award at the 18th International Conference on Solid-State Sensors, Actuators and Microsystems (Transducers 2015) and the Best Paper Award at the 2017 European Frequency and Time Forum & International Frequency Control Symposium (IFCS-EFTF 2017).
Honors & Awards
DARPA Riser 2018
2017 Chinese Government Award for Outstanding Self-financed Students Abroad
Selected Research Projects
- Nano-opto-mechanical Piezoelectric Resonant Infrared-sensitive Metamaterials for Quantum-Limited Photodetection
- – Co-Principal Investigator, DARPA
Selected Publications
Sep 08, 2025
Zepsor Technologies Taps Spark Fund to Scale Zero-Power Sensor Solutions
ECE Professor Matteo Rinaldi and Associate Research Professor Zhenyun Qian founded Zepsor Technologies, an innovative tech company that has developed a zero-power sensor that could reduce the demand for battery replacements.
Jan 02, 2025
Patent for Zero-Power Sensing Technology
ECE Professor Matteo Rinaldi and Associate Research Professor Zhenyun Qian were awarded a patent for “Zero power micromechanical switch-based sensing and monitoring system.”
Aug 08, 2024
Patent for Ultra-Low Power Sensor for Remote Monitoring
ECE Professor Matteo Rinaldi and Associate Research Professor Zhenyun Qian were awarded a patent for “Sensor and method using bi-stable digitizing micromechanical switches for analog measurement of input signals.”
Mar 12, 2024
Patent for Designing Zero-Power Sensors for Crop Water Management
ECE Professor Matteo Rinaldi and Associate Research Professor Zhenyun Qian were awarded a patent for “Zero-power wireless system for crop water content monitoring.”
Feb 26, 2024
Northeastern Among Top 100 Universities for Utility Patents
Northeastern University, recognized for its excellence in innovation and entrepreneurship, has once again been named one of the top 100 universities worldwide for securing utility patents by the National Academy of Inventors.
Feb 14, 2023
$4 Million DARPA Grant for Ultra-Small, Fast, High-Resolution Infrared Sensors
Matteo Rinaldi, professor of electrical and computer engineering (ECE), and director of the Northeastern SMART research center, is leading a $4 million DARPA grant under the DARPA Optomechanical Thermal Imaging (OpTIm) program.
Jan 18, 2023
Patent for Designs for a Zero Power Plasmonic Microelectromechanical Device
ECE Professor Matteo Rinaldi and Research Assistant Professor Zhenyun Qian were awarded a patent for designing a “Zero power plasmonic microelectromechanical device.”
Jun 09, 2022
Monitoring Crop Fields with Zero-Power Sensors
ECE Professor Matteo Rinaldi and Research Assistant Professor Zhenyun Qian were awarded a patent for “Zero-power wireless chemical sensor for agricultural pests and disease monitoring.” Abstract Source: USPTO An ultra-miniaturized, […]
Jun 04, 2020
Developing ‘Off But Alert’ Wireless Sensors to Protect People and Assets from Fire
ECE Associate Professor Matteo Rinaldi and Research Assistant Professor Zhenyun Qian was awarded a $550K NSF grant for “Zero-power Wireless Flame Detector for Ubiquitous Fire Monitoring.” They will be working with industrial partner United Technologies Corporation (UTC).
May 07, 2020
Rinaldi & Qian Awarded Patent Zero Power Plasmonic MEMS
ECE Associate Professor Matteo Rinaldi and Research Assistant Professor Zhenyun Qian were awarded a patent for “Zero power plasmonic microelectromechanical device”.