Zheng Zhang

A physicist and cosmologist.

Zheng Zhang

I do physics and cosmology (and ask a lot of questions about the Universe)

What I’m doing now

My expertise is in physics and cosmology, with a side interest (and ongoing learning) in applying advanced tools and methods to these fields. My passion is to push the boundaries of how physics explains the Universe, and—when I’m not getting lost in equations or codes—my mind is out here wandering through the cosmos, trying to make sense of its grand mess.

Research interests:

My current research covers both observational and theoretical cosmology, with particular focus on:

  • Line intensity mapping
  • The cosmic history and large-scale structure revealed by the HI hyperfine transition
  • Cosmic Microwave Background (CMB) anisotropy
  • Gravitational effects as cosmological probes

Whether as secondary effects in cosmological surveys or as phenomena of intrinsic scientific interest, my work also includes formalising detailed astrophysical processes and systematically accounting for a wide range of observational effects - spanning instrumental, dynamical, radiative transfer, relativistic, and topological factors — in cosmological data. This includes:

  • Low-frequency foreground science
    • Diffuse synchrotron emission (spectral structure, Faraday rotation, RSB/ARCADE excess, etc.)
    • Spinning dust emission and Anomalous Microwave Emission (AME)
  • Non-equilibrium and quasi-equilibrium astrophysical systems
  • Stochastic instrumental processes (e.g., 1/f noise in autocorrelation measurements)
  • Higher-order corrections in the radiative transfer of cosmological signals

I also develop methods and tools for the field, such as:

  • Ultra-high-dimensional Bayesian inference using Gibbs sampling
  • Perturbative statistical analysis
    • Marginalising and abstracting out ignorance or environmental factors
    • Using moment and cumulant expansions
  • Machine learning
    • MomentEmu (my proposed non-regression approach to smooth cosmological observable representation)
    • Deep learning
    • Physics-driven methods (e.g., PDE-net)
  • Methods for stochastic processes: Fokker-Planck equations analytical diffusion systems, Langevin equations and stochastic differential equations
  • Optimal statistical measurements: power spectrum, bispectrum, etc.

In addition to these areas, I maintain active research interests in general physics topics, notably topological defect transitions and the quantum-to-classical transition of fields.

Publications
Here is a list of my published and submitted papers to date. Also see my profiles on Google Scholar, arXiv, and ORCID.
9 | 2025
Joint Bayesian calibration and map-making for intensity mapping experiments
Z Zhang, P Bull, M Santos, A Nasirudin
arXiv
8 | 2025
A general polynomial emulator for cosmology via moment projection
Z Zhang
arXiv
7 | 2025
SpyDust: an improved and extended implementation for modeling spinning dust radiation
Z Zhang, J Chluba
JCAP arXiv
6 | 2024
RHINO: A large horn antenna for detecting the 21cm global signal
P Bull, A El-Makadema et al (incl. Z Zhang).
arXiv
5 | 2024
Disentangling the anisotropic radio sky: Fisher forecasts for 21 cm arrays
Z Zhang, P Bull, K A Glasscock
MNRAS arXiv
4 | 2022
Hydrogen Intensity and Real-Time Analysis Experiment: 256-element array status and overview
HIRAX collaboration (incl. Z Zhang)
JATIS arXiv
3 | 2021
A new MWA limit on the 21 cm power spectrum at redshifts∼ 13–17
MWA collaboration (incl. Z Zhang)
MNRAS arXiv
2 | 2020
Deep multiredshift limits on Epoch of Reionization 21 cm power spectra from four seasons of Murchison Widefield Array observations
MWA collaboration (incl. Z Zhang)
MNRAS arXiv
1 | 2020
The impact of tandem redundant/sky-based calibration in MWA Phase II data analysis
Z Zhang, JC Pober, W Li, BJ Hazelton, MF Morales et al.
PASA arXiv
Codes
Here are a few selected codes I have developed or contributed to, many of which are used in my research papers.
MomentEmu
A general polynomial emulator for cosmology via moment projection
arXiv
SpyDust
A python package for modeling spinning dust radiation
arXiv
Hydra-TOD
A Gibbs sampling method for single-dish TOD gain calibration and map-making
TIBEC
A package for Beam Simulation in Cosmological Coordinates

More about me

Bio

  • Pronouns: He/Him
  • Title: PhD in Physics of the Universe (DOCTORAT PHYSIQUE DE L’UNIVERS)
  • Marital Status: Married
  • Nationality: Chinese
  • Location: Manchester, United Kingdom
  • Profile: Astrophysicist and cosmologist; self-proclaimed “citizen of the Universe.”

Life and Education Journey

I am currently (Nov 2023 -) a Postdoctoral Researcher at the University of Manchester, working with Phil Bull and Jens Chluba. Previously, I completed my PhD in Physics of the Universe at the Astroparticle and Cosmology (APC) Laboratory, Université Paris Cité, jointly with the École Normale Supérieure (ENS, Paris), from November 2020 to October 2023 in Paris, France.

Before that, I earned an MSc in Physics from Brown University (2018–2020, Rhode Island, US) and a BSc in Applied Physics from Shanghai University (2014–2018, Shanghai, China). My earlier education includes high school in Hai’an and primary school in Sunzhuang village (2002–2014). I was born in 1996.

Scientific Ancestry

Below is my academic tree, illustrating the lineage from doctoral supervisors to students.

Students

  • Pranav Odugoudar (MScR, Manchester, 2024-)
  • Tong Lu (BSc, Manchester, 2025-)

Biological Ancestry

I can’t go back too far. My grandfather was adopted. The man who adopted him, my great-grandfather, was a tofu maker/seller in the village, but unfortunately the craft was not passed on.

The Home Team

Our little family includes my wife and myself, our Bengal cat, Youzi, along with two cherished baobab trees, Jumbo and Zhuangzhuang, which we brought with us from Paris to Manchester. While living in the US, I raised a loving German Shepherd named Summer, who now enjoys life with my parents in my faraway hometown.