Yangruirui (Ron) Zhou, Ph.D.

Ph.D. Advisor: Douglas Densmore

Ph.D. Committee Members: Ayse Coskun, Wenchao Li, Catherine Klapperich

Yangruirui (Ron) Zhou received his Ph.D. in Computer Engineering from Boston University (BU) in 2025. He received his Bachelor of Engineering (B.E.) in Software Engineering (Elite Program) from the University of Electronic Science and Technology of China (UESTC) in 2020. He was honored with the Most Outstanding Student of UESTC (成电杰出学生) in 2019, the highest undergraduate honor awarded by UESTC.

At Boston University, Yangruirui worked with Professor Douglas Densmore. His research focuses on the development of tools for the verification, simulation, control, synthesis, and testing of synthetic biological systems. His Ph.D. research emphasized the computational formalization and foundational infrastructure required for future AI-assisted co-design of biological networks and microfluidic systems, as well as self-driving laboratory platforms. This work contributed to the emerging research direction of Hardware-Software-Wetware Co-design, as articulated by his advisor, Prof. Densmore. His long-term goal is to establish the first end-to-end automated design-validation-implementation toolchain for scalable multicellular biological computation and microfluidic systems, enabling future LLM-driven bio-hardware co-design platforms.

[Email] [Google Scholar] [Github] [CV] [中文简历]

Mailing address:
Kilachand Building,
610 Commonwealth Avenue,
Boston, MA, 02215


News

  • [12/2025] Yangruirui Zhou has successfully passed his Ph.D. defense on December 11th.
    [Boston University, USA]

  • [07/2023] Yangruirui Zhou has passed prospectus defense on July 27th. Now hw is a PhD candidate.
    [Boston University, USA]

  • [08/2021] Yangruirui Zhou has passed RPC on August 26th, a necessary step in his progression as a PhD candidate.
    [Boston University, USA]


Awards

  • [11/2024] International Genetically Engineered Machine competition (iGEM) Awarded "Gold Medal" (Student Mentor) [Paris, France]

  • [12/2019] Most Outstanding studnets of UESTC 2019 (成电杰出学生) (10/5000 in UESTC, 1/740 in Software Engineering department) [Chengdu, China]

  • [11/2019] International Genetically Engineered Machine competition (iGEM) Awarded "Gold Medal" and "Best Software Project" [Boston, USA]

  • [10/2019] Outstanding Graduates Award of UESTC [Chengdu, China]

  • [09/2019] Wu Liang Ye Enterprise Scholarship, (2/740 in Software Engineering department) [Chengdu, China]

  • [09/2019] Outstanding Student Scholarship [Chengdu, China]

  • [09/2018] Outstanding Student Scholarship [Chengdu, China]

  • [08/2018] Minor Contributor in the "Internet +" Innovation and Entrepreneurship Competition for College Students, Provincial Gold Award [Chengdu, China]

  • [09/2017] Outstanding Student Scholarship [Chengdu, China]

  • [10/2016] International Software Testing Qualifications Board (Certified Tester) [Foundational Level] [Chengdu, China]