Xiaotian Zhang graduated from Northwestern Polytechnical University and University of Manchester with a joint MSc in Material Science. After that, he did his mater in Micro & Nanotechnology Enterprise at University of Cambridge. 

Xiaotian is interested in the structural colouration of photonic pigments. In particular, he foucus on the hydroxypropyl cellulose droplets. Hydroxypropyl cellulose(HPC) as a derivate of cellulose, is abountant and cheap. More importantly, it can self assemble into a liquid crystalline phase and exhibit iridescent structural colour in solution. With a spherical confinement, it is possible to produce single coloured droplets with angle independece. He hopes to use this material to develop new type of edible photonic dyes.