Rui Zhang obtained her Bachelor of Science degree in Electrical and Computer Engineering from Baylor University, Texas, United States, in 2017. She went on to earn her Master of Science degree in Education from the University of Illinois at Chicago, Illinois, United States, in 2022. Currently, she is working as a research assistant at the China Academy of Transportation Sciences.

Her research interests lie in the areas of new energy transportation, water transport safety, and emergency response.