Hansanyang

Dr. Sanyang Han obtained his Ph.D. from the Department of Chemistry at the National University of Singapore, and carried out postdoctoral research at both the Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, and the Cavendish Laboratory at the University of Cambridge, UK. He was awarded the prestigious Marie Curie Fellowship by the European Union in 2018, and was recognized as a recipient of the National High-Level Overseas Talent Youth Program in 2021, as well as a specially appointed expert under the Shenzhen Pengcheng Peacock Program in 2022.

In recent years, Dr. Han has authored (as first author or co-first author) and corresponded numerous scientific articles in leading international journals including Nature, Nature Photonics, Nature Communications, Angewandte Chemie International Edition, and Advanced Materials. His research on luminescent materials was listed among the Top Ten Scientific Advances in China’s Rare Earth Research for 2017, and he received the Nomination Award for China’s Top Ten Optical Breakthroughs in 2021.

Our research team is committed to pioneering interdisciplinary innovations in luminescent probes, multimodal imaging, and Biomedical Diagnostic Applications, with the overarching goal of advancing precision biomedicine. Key research areas include:

1. Development of Novel Luminescent Probes: Designing and synthesizing inorganic, organic, biological, and hybrid luminescent materials to enable next-generation imaging and sensing technologies.

2. Computational Imaging Technologies: Combining 3D computational imaging, super-resolution microscopy, and single-particle tracking to investigate dynamic biological processes across multiple scales.

3. Biomedical Diagnostic Applications: Utilizing the deep-tissue penetration and high-sensitivity features of luminescent probes to study proteins, enzymes, and cellular functions, with strong potential for applications in disease diagnosis and treatment.

We warmly invite motivated students with an interest in the interdisciplinary integration of chemistry, optics, and biomedicine to join our team and explore cutting-edge scientific challenges together.

We are currently seeking postdoctoral researchers, research assistants, and graduate students (Ph.D. and Master’s) with backgrounds in chemistry, materials science, physics, optics, spectroscopy, artificial intelligence, biology, or related disciplines. Interested applicants are encouraged to submit their materials (including a CV, research summary, and future interests/plans) to hansanyang@sz.tsinghua.edu.cn:

Aug. 2010 - Feb. 2015, Ph.D. in Chemistry, National University of Singapore, Singapore

Sep. 2007 - Jun. 2010, M.Sc. in Physical Chemistry, Soochow University, China

Sep. 2003 - Jun. 2007, B.Sc in Chemistry, Soochow University, China

Jun. 2025 – now  Associate Professor, Institute of Biopharmaceutical and Health Engineering, Tsinghua Shenzhen International Graduate School

May 2022 – Jun. 2025  Assistant Professor, Institute of Biopharmaceutical and Health Engineering, Tsinghua Shenzhen International Graduate School

Sep. 2017 - Mar. 2022  Marie Skłodowska-Curie Fellow, Cavendish Laboratory, University of Cambridge

Oct. 2014 – Aug. 2017   Research Fellow, Department of Chemistry, National University of Singapore 

Guest Editor of Giant journal
Member of the Luminescence and Display Lighting Technology Professional Group Committee of the Optical Interaction between Light and Matter Specialized Committee of the Chinese Society of Optical Engineering
Member of the Cross-disciplinary Committee of Rare Earth Materials Chemistry and Biotechnology of the Chinese Society of Rare Earths
Member of the Expert Committee of the China Biochemical Pharmaceutical Industry Association

Chemical engineering (Ph.D)

Chemical Engineering (M.Sc); Electronics and information (M.Sc)

We are a vibrant and interdisciplinary research team pushing the boundaries of luminescent probes, multimodal imaging, and biomedical innovation. By merging cutting-edge approaches from chemistry, materials science, optics, artificial intelligence, and biology, we create transformative technologies that connect molecular-level design with real-world medical impact.

Research Focus Areas:

1. Next-Generation Luminescent Probes

o Creating NIR-II (1000–1700 nm) fluorescent probes for deep-tissue dynamic imaging with superior penetration and resolution.

o Engineering X-ray-activated nanoprobes via rare-earth doping and energy transfer modulation to enable low-dose, high-sensitivity dynamic CT imaging.

o Designing smart stimulus-responsive probes (e.g., pH/ROS/enzyme-activated) for spatially and temporally controlled assembly and precise imaging of tumor microenvironments.

2. Advanced Multimodal Imaging Systems

o Developing real-time 3D imaging platforms that combine optical encoding and computational decoding to visualize cellular processes at millisecond resolution.

o Pioneering super-resolution imaging through multidimensional optics and deep learning to surpass the diffraction limit and track subcellular dynamics in living systems.

o Implementing single-particle tracking with luminescent nanoparticles and sub-diffraction algorithms to investigate nanoscale phenomena such as vesicular transport and viral infection.

3. Biomedical Translation and Theranostics

o Applying deep-tissue imaging and ultrasensitive probes to study protein function, enzyme activity, and cellular mechanisms—with direct implications for diagnostics and therapy.

We are actively seeking passionate and talented individuals to join our team—including Postdoctoral Researchers, Research Assistants, PhD, and Master’s Students. If you have a background in chemistry, materials science, biology, optics, spectroscopy, artificial intelligence, or related fields, and are excited about luminescence and imaging research, we encourage you to apply.

Please send your application (including a CV, research summary, and future interests) to:
hansanyang@sz.tsinghua.edu.cn

[1] Sanyang Han, Renren Deng, Qifei Gu, Limeng Ni, Uyen Huynh, Jiangbin Zhang, Zhigao Yi, Hiroyuki Tamura, Anton Pershin, Hui Xu, Mojtaba Abdi-Jalebi, Aditya Sadhanala, Artem Bakulin, David Beljonne, Xiaogang Liu and Akshay Rao, Lanthanide-doped inorganic nanoparticles turn molecular triplet excitons bright. Nature 2020, 587, 594-599.

[2] Sanyang Han, Xian Qin, Zhongfu An, Yihan Zhu, Liangliang Liang, Yu Han, Wei Huang & Xiaogang Liu, Multicolour synthesis in lanthanide-doped nanocrystals through cation exchange in water. Nat. Commun. 2016, 7, 13059

[3] Sanyang Han, Zhigao Yi, Jiangbin Zhang, Qifei Gu, Liangliang Liang, Xian Qin, Jiahui Xu, Yiming Wu, Hui Xu, Akshay Rao, Xiaogang Liu. Photon upconversion through triplet exciton-mediated energy relay. Nat. Commun. 2021, 12, 3704.

[4] Zhijian Yang, Peng Zhang, Xiaofeng Chen, Zhongzhu Hong, Jianwei Gong, Xiangyu Ou, Qinxia Wu, Weihong Li, Xiaoze Wang, Lili Xie, Zhenzhen Zhang, Zhiyang Yu, Xian Qin, Jiang Tang, Hongjie Zhang, Qiushui Chen*, Sanyang Han*, Huanghao Yang*. High‐confidentiality X-ray imaging encryption using prolonged imperceptible radioluminescence memory scintillators. Adv. Mater. 2023, 35, 2309413.

[5] Sanyang Han, Animesh Samanta, Xiaoji Xie, Ling Huang, Juanjuan Peng, Sung Jin Park, Daniel Teh Boon Loong, Yongdoo Choi, Young-Tae Chang, Angelo Homayoun All, Yanmei Yang, Bengang Xing, and Xiaogang Liu, Gold and Hairpin DNA Functionalization of Upconversion Nanocrystals for Imaging and in vivo Drug Delivery. Adv. Mater. 2017, 29, 201700244.

[6] Hui Xu^†, Sanyang Han^†, Renren Deng, Qianqian Su, Ying Wei, Yongan Tang, Xian Qin & Xiaogang Liu, Anomalous upconversion amplification induced by surface reconstruction in lanthanide sublattices. Nat. Photon. 2021, 15, 732-737.

[7] Sanyang Han, Renren Deng, Xiaoji Xie, and Xiaogang Liu, Enhancing luminescence in lanthanide-doped upconversion nanoparticles. Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 2014, 53, 11702-11715.

[8] Nan Zhang†, Ying Li†, Sanyang Han†, Ying Wei, Huan Hu, Ran Huo, Chunbo Duan, Jing Zhang, Chunmiao Han, Guohua Xie, Hui Xu. Cluster Light-Emitting Diodes Containing Copper Iodine Cube with 100% Exciton Utilization Using Host-Cluster Synergy. Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 2023, 62, e202305018.

[9] Zhiquan Lu, Zilu Ye, Ping Li, Yike Jiang, Sanyang Han* & Lan Ma*. An MSRE-Assisted Glycerol-Enhanced RPA-CRISPR/Cas12a Method for Methylation Detection. Biosensors 2024, 14(12), 608.

[10] Haoran Zhang, Yachong Liu, Rong Jin, Sanyang Han,* and Qianqian Su*. Intensifying upconverted ultraviolet emission towards efficient reactive oxygen species generation. Chem Asian J. 2022, 17, e202200309.

^† Co-first author, * Corresponding author

2023     Excellent oral presentation of China Rare Earth Annual Conference

2022     China Optics Top Ten Progress Nomination Award

2021     National Science Fund for Excellent Young Scholars (Overseas)

2018     Marie Skłodowska-Curie Fellowship

2017     China's Top Ten Rare Earth Science and Technology News