[1] She attended Monash University, where she earned first-class honours for a bachelor's degree in computer science in 1998.

[6][7][8] She was a founder of the innovation platform OpenIDEO, which brings together makers around the world to solve challenges for social good.

[10] In 2011, Zhang developed an interactive map of radiation levels around Japan, widely used in the aftermath of the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster.

She was a mapping consultant for Safecast, a volunteer organisation developing geiger counters that can be built simply by non-experts, which are distributed around Fukushima.

[13] The Emma Watch is a device for sufferers Parkinson's disease, which looks to reduce limb tremors by disrupting the "feedback loop between the brain and hand".

[19][20][21][22][23][24][25] Zhang regularly delivers public talks and appears on podcasts, where she discusses design and engineering.