Macquarie University | Australia
Dr. Doudou Zhang is a distinguished Macquarie University Research Fellow (Vice-Chancellor Fellow) and lecturer in the School of Engineering, renowned for her pioneering contributions to functional materials and photoelectrochemical (PEC) energy systems. Her research focuses on the development of advanced materials and device architectures for solar-to-hydrogen conversion, CO₂ reduction, and sustainable ammonia synthesis, integrating materials design, device engineering, and artificial intelligence (AI)-driven approaches to accelerate innovation in renewable energy technologies. Dr. Zhang received her Ph.D. in Chemistry from Shaanxi Normal University, followed by a prestigious postdoctoral research fellowship at the Australian National University (ANU) from 2019 to 2024, where she specialized in photo(electro)catalysis for sustainable hydrogen production. At Macquarie University, she leads several cutting-edge research projects as both sole and co-chief investigator, including the ARENA project (KC012) on accelerating the commercialization of direct solar-to-hydrogen technology (A$2.25M; A$163K at MQ), an ARC Discovery Project (DP250104928) on zero-gap photoelectrochemical ammonia synthesis (A$580K), and the Macquarie University Research Fellowship project on the direct synthesis of earth-abundant bifunctional catalysts (A$848K). Her research portfolio demonstrates a remarkable ability to attract competitive national and industry funding, exceeding A$10 million in cumulative project value through collaborations with industry leaders such as Fortescue Future Industries (FFI). Her earlier work as a main investigator contributed to multiple high-impact projects, including ARENA and FFI-funded initiatives focused on developing low-cost perovskite/silicon semiconductors and macroelectrode electrolysis systems, each driving substantial advances in low-cost green hydrogen production. Beyond academic research, Dr. Zhang has actively engaged with industry, leading consultancy projects like the AEA Ignite initiative (A$489K) for developing durable roll-to-roll functional coatings for next-generation energy devices. Dr. Zhang has achieved an H-index of 21 and over 1,970 citations (Google Scholar, October 2025), reflecting the global influence of her research in energy materials. She has authored 38 peer-reviewed journal papers, 1 book chapter, and 12 granted patents (including one patent that attracted A$833K industrial funding). Her publications are consistently featured in top-tier journals such as Energy & Environmental Science, Advanced Energy Materials, Applied Physics Reviews, Chemical Engineering Journal, Materials Today Energy, Angewandte Chemie International Edition, and Progress in Materials Science. Notably, over 31% of her works rank within the top 10% citation percentiles, and 76% are among the top 25% most cited papers globally. Her contributions also extend to scholarly authorship and thought leadership, including an invited chapter titled “Advances in Perovskite-Based Photocatalysts: Materials Design, Mechanisms, and Applications” in Semiconductors and Semimetals (Elsevier, 2025). Dr. Zhang’s recent works demonstrate the integration of AI and machine learning in catalyst discovery, as seen in her publication “Prospects of AI in Advancing Green Hydrogen Production”.
Featured Publications
Zhang, D., & Co-authors. (2025, September 25). Minimizing buried interface energy losses via urea phosphate derivatives enable high-efficiency carbon-based mesoscopic perovskite solar cells. Small. https://doi.org/10.1002/smll.202507384
Zhang, D., Pan, W., Lu, H., Wang, Z., Gupta, B., Oo, A. T., Wang, L., Reuter, K., Li, H., Jiang, Y., & Karuturi, S. (2025, September 1). Prospects of AI in advancing green hydrogen production: From materials to applications. Applied Physics Reviews, 12(3), 031335. https://doi.org/10.1063/5.0281416
Attar, F., Riaz, A., Zhang, D., Lu, H., Thomsen, L., & Karuturi, S. (2025, August 15). Advanced NiMoC electrocatalysts precisely synthesized at room temperature for efficient hydrogen evolution across pH ranges. Chemical Engineering Journal, 518, 164494. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cej.2025.164494
Zhang, D., Pan, W. S., Sharma, A., Shen, H., Lem, O., Saraswathyvilasam, A., Yang, C., Weber, K., Wu, Y., Catchpole, K., Oo, A. T., & Karuturi, S. (2025, March). Over 14% unassisted water splitting driven by immersed perovskite/Si tandem photoanode with Ni-based catalysts. Materials Today Energy, 48, 101809. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.mtener.2025.101809
Wang, P., Oo, A. T., Chen, L., & Zhang, D. (2025). Recent advances of interfacial modification over tantalum nitride photoanodes for solar water oxidation: A mini review. Frontiers in Chemistry, 13, 1600959. https://doi.org/10.3389/fchem.2025.1600959
Zhang, D., Pan, W., Jiang, Y., & Co-authors. (2024, December 28). Defect management and crystallization regulation for high-efficiency carbon-based printable mesoscopic perovskite solar cells via a single organic small molecule. Journal of Materials Chemistry A. https://doi.org/10.1039/d4ta06877g
Ding, J., Zhang, D., Riaz, A., Gu, H., Soo, J. Z., Narangari, P. R., Jagadish, C., Tan, H. H., & Karuturi, S. (2024, November). Scalable amorphous NiFe(OH)x/Fe/graphene bifunctional electrocatalyst via solution-corrosion for water splitting. CCS Chemistry, 6, 2692–2703. https://doi.org/10.31635/ccschem.024.202404423
Zhang, D., & Co-authors. (2024, July 5). Solar-driven ammonia synthesis with Co–TiOx and Ag nanowires enhanced Cu₂ZnSnS₄ photocathodes. Applied Catalysis B: Environmental, 348, 123836. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apcatb.2024.123836