Dr. Zhang has over 15 years of experience in the fields of scientific visualization, medical and dental simulation, and big data computing. His visualization research adopts a combination of computer-generated three-dimensional images and haptic/tactile devices, and has extensive practical uses in medical field such as surgical training scenarios using virtual manipulatives with a crucial sense of 3D touch, and haptic interfaces to help children with motor control disorders to improve motor skills. His research has been funded by NIH R21, NSF CAREER, NSF DUE, and Oak Ridge National Laboratory. Dr. Zhang has over 40 peer-reviewed publications, 2 book chapters, and some of his work has been featured articles in SPIE newsroom.