Welcome to new Affiliated Researchers and PhD Candidate
MOBIUS is delighted to welcome two Affiliated Researchers (Dr Ying Zhu and Dr Siyang Ding) and an Affiliated PhD Candidate, Vatsala Pithaih.
Meet the researchers:
Dr Ying Zhu
MOBIUS Affiliated Researcher, Dr Ying Zhu, is a Senior Lecturer at the School of Biomedical Engineering, University of Technology Sydney (UTS), where she leads the Laboratory of In-Vitro NanoDiagnostics.
Her research focuses on creating nanotechnology for new analytical platforms that solve critical societal and industry challenges.
Ying completed her PhD in nanophotonic biosensor development, then expanded into translational cancer research and the clinical application of biosensors as a postdoctoral fellow.
Her work on advanced nanoplasmonic biosensors for disease diagnostics has been continuously supported by prestigious fellowships, including a Cancer Institute NSW Early Career Fellowship (2017–2020) and an ARC Discovery Early Career Researcher Award (DECRA) (2024).
“My research directly aligns with MOBIUS’ core mission,” says Ying. “I am looking forward to contributing my deep expertise in nanophotonic (light-based) sensing and translational research to the development of new, fit-for-purpose sensing platforms.”
Dr Siyang Ding
MOBIUS Affiliated Postdoctoral Researcher, Dr Siyang Ding, is based at the School of Agriculture, Biomedicine and Environment, La Trobe University.
Siyang is a chemical biologist specialising in the design and development of fluorescent molecules that can be used to study key biological processes.
She integrates synthetic chemistry, advanced fluorescent technologies, and quantitative analysis to investigate oxidative stress, proteostasis, autophagy, and lipid metabolism – processes that impact our health.
“I enjoy developing new chemical tools and applying them to uncover dynamic biological processes in real time,” explains Siyang. “It is especially rewarding to uncover previously inaccessible aspects of cellular behaviour and contribute to meaningful biological insights.”
“I’m excited to be part of MOBIUS, where there is a strong emphasis on interdisciplinary collaboration,” said Siyang. “The opportunity to work across different platforms and connect molecular tools with complex biological systems is particularly motivating.”
Vatsala Pithaih
MOBIUS Affiliated PhD Candidate, Vatsala Pithaih, is based at the School of Computing, Engineering and Mathematical Sciences, La Trobe University and School of Agriculture, Biomedicine and Environment.
She is supervised by MOBIUS’ Distinguished Professor Brian Abbey, Dr Saimon Moraes Silva, and Professor Conor Hogan (La Trobe University), and Professor Chamindie Punyadeera (Griffith University).
“My research focuses on the development of biosensors that can detect key molecules in biological fluids, like microRNAs,” said Vatsala.
Vatsala is working on emerging biosensor technologies, including optical sensing and electrochemical detection, to enable new and highly effective health diagnostics.
“I am excited to be part of MOBIUS: working within such a collaborative and interdisciplinary environment provides a valuable opportunity to translate fundamental research into practical solutions,” said Vatsala.
“I enjoy the process of designing and developing sensing systems from the ground up. It is especially rewarding to work on research which has such strong potential for future clinical impact and improved patient outcomes.”