Zihao Ou

Ph.D. - Materials Science and Engineering
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign - 2020

B.S. - Physics
University of Science and Technology of China - 2015

Transient optical clearing using absorbing molecules for ex-vivo and in-vivo imaging 2025 - Other

Visualizing Energy Transfer Between Redox-Active Colloids 2025 - Journal Article

Refractive Index Engineering: Insights from Biological Systems for Advanced Optical Design 2025 - Journal Article

A biochemical sensor with continuous extended stability in vivo 2025 - Journal Article

Designing refractive index fluids of food dye for light propagation through scattering media 2025 - Journal Article

Achieving optical transparency in live animals with absorbing molecules 2024 - Journal Article

Near-infrared II fluorescence imaging 2024 - Journal Article

Isolation and Anticancer Progression Evaluation of the Chemical Constituents from Bridelia balansae Tutcher 2023 - Journal Article

MIT Technology Review Innovator Under 35 - MIT Technology Review [2025]

Foresight Fellowship Program - Foresight Institute [2025]

Scialog Fellow for Neurobiology and Changing Ecosystems Initiative - Research Corporation for Science Advancement [2025]

Rising STARs award - The University of Texas System [2024]

Star Mentor Award for Stanford Bio-X Undergraduate Summer Research Program - Stanford University [2023]

Wu Tsai Neurosciences Institute Interdisciplinary Scholar Award - Stanford University [2021]

Outstanding Self-financed Students Abroad - China Scholarship Council [2020]

Racheff-Intel Award - The University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign [2020]

Dow Best Presentation Award for Soft Materials Seminar - The University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign [2019]

Conference Travel Awards for Graduate Students - The University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign [2019]

Assistant Professor
The University of Texas at Dallas [2024–Present]

Postdoctoral Scholar
Stanford University [2020–2024]

Accolades: Scientist, Callier Center Leaders Receive Recognition

Dr. Zihao Ou, assistant professor of physics at The University of Texas at Dallas, has been named to MIT Technology Review’s 35 Innovators Under 35 list for 2025 for his groundbreaking research that could revolutionize the optical imaging of living systems.

Yellow food dye found in chips and candy corn turns skin transparent in mice, study says

Ou, an assistant professor of physics at the University of Texas at Dallas, is the first author of a new study that uses food dye to make mouse skin temporarily transparent.