Rate My Professor Yanfang Wu

Dr. Yanfang Wu is a Lecturer in the Department of Chemistry, Sciences Division, at the University of Otago, a position she has held since 2024. Previously, she was a Research Associate at UNSW Sydney from 2018 to 2024, following the completion of her PhD at the same university between 2015 and 2018. She also holds an adjunct lecturer role at UNSW Sydney. Wu's research focuses on the development and application of biosensors for fundamental and applied problems in chemistry and biochemistry, including new sensing technologies for health testing, food analysis, and pollutant monitoring. Her key research areas encompass bioelectronic systems for disease diagnosis, single-molecule sensors for quantitative analysis with high accuracy, nano-electrochemistry, electrochemiluminescence sensors, micro- and nano-fabrication of interfaces, sensors, and devices, and paper-based analytical sensors for onsite testing.

Wu has earned several honors, including the Dean’s Award for Outstanding PhD Theses in 2019, the Australian Centre for NanoMedicine Travel Award in 2019, the UNSW Science PhD Writing Scholarship in 2018, and Outstanding Reviewer recognitions for Sensors and Actuators B: Chemical in 2018 and Electrochimica Acta in 2017. She is the author of numerous publications in high-impact journals. Key works include 'The application of single molecule nanopore sensing for quantitative analysis' (Chemical Society Reviews, 2022), 'Rapid and ultrasensitive electrochemical detection of DNA methylation for ovarian cancer diagnosis' (Biosensors and Bioelectronics, 2022), 'Nanopore blockade sensors for ultrasensitive detection of proteins in complex biological samples' (Nature Communications, 2019), 'Challenges and Solutions in Developing Ultrasensitive Biosensors' (Journal of the American Chemical Society, 2019), and recent contributions such as 'Dual signal amplification-based lateral flow strip for rapid and sensitive detection of streptomycin in milk' (Food Bioscience, 2026) and 'A smartphone platform developed with AI assistance for ultrasensitive dual-mode detection of tetracycline' (Biosensors & Bioelectronics, 2026). Her scholarship demonstrates substantial impact in sensor technology, electrochemistry, and nanomaterials, with over 2700 citations on Google Scholar.