Zhang was born in China, and moved to Gosford on the Central Coast (New South Wales), Australia at age eight. She credits her mother's stories explaining the scientific basis of various phenomena with stimulating her interest in science. She moved to Sydney to attend the University of Sydney, where she completed a Bachelor of Science (Advanced) in 2007 and a PhD in Chemistry under the supervision of Professor Trevor Hambley in 2011. During her PhD, Zhang also briefly worked at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem.