Zhenan Bao (Chinese: 鲍哲南; pinyin: Bào Zhé-nán; born 1970) is a Chinese-born American chemical engineer.

[2][6] At the University of Chicago, as one of the first graduate students of Luping Yu,[5] Bao applied palladium-catalyzed cross-coupling reactions towards the synthesis of conductive and liquid crystalline polymers.

[14][15][16] It was also during this time when Jan Hendrik Schön published a series of papers claiming major breakthroughs involving semiconductors, two of which included Bao as a coauthor.

[1] In 2004, she returned to academia by joining the faculty at Stanford University where she is now focusing on studying organic semiconductor and carbon nanotubes using new fabrication methods.

[19] Bao is a co-founder and on the board of directors for C3 Nano[20] and PyrAmes Health,[21] both of which are Silicon Valley venture-funded startup companies.

[24] In conjunction with Karl Deisseroth, Bao has developed biocompatible polymers that can be used to “modulate the properties of target cells”.