Short Introduction
The Hong Kong Polytechnic University (PolyU) celebrates a milestone achievement as Assistant Professor Dr. Liya Zhang has been named one of the “Top 50 Women in Web3 & AI” by CoinDesk, a leading global digital media and event platform covering blockchain, cryptocurrencies and artificial intelligence. This prestigious recognition underscores Dr. Zhang’s pioneering research at the intersection of decentralized systems and machine learning, and highlights PolyU’s commitment to advancing innovation, diversity and excellence in emerging technologies.
RECOGNITION BY COINDESK
Each year, CoinDesk identifies fifty outstanding women who are driving progress in Web3—an evolution of the internet based on decentralized protocols—and artificial intelligence (AI). The honorees represent a cross-section of entrepreneurs, academics, policy advocates and technologists whose work is reshaping digital landscapes worldwide. In its 2025 edition, CoinDesk spotlighted Dr. Zhang for her leadership in designing AI-powered consensus mechanisms that enhance security, transparency and efficiency in blockchain networks. Her inclusion among global luminaries from industry and academia signals the growing impact of PolyU researchers on the world stage.
SCHOLARLY PROFILE AND CONTRIBUTIONS
Dr. Zhang joined PolyU’s Department of Computing in 2021 after earning her PhD in Computer Science from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). She leads the Secure Intelligent Systems Lab, which focuses on blending cryptographic protocols with deep learning techniques. To date, Dr. Zhang has authored over 60 peer-reviewed papers in top venues such as IEEE Security & Privacy, NeurIPS and the ACM Conference on Computer and Communications Security. Her work on privacy-preserving federated learning for smart contracts earned the Best Paper Award at IEEE Blockchain 2024. She also holds three patents related to zero-knowledge proofs and autonomous consensus algorithms.
DRIVING INNOVATION IN WEB3 AND AI
At the core of Dr. Zhang’s research is the goal of building trustworthy decentralized platforms that can learn from distributed data without compromising user privacy. She developed a novel framework called ChainLearn, which integrates on-chain governance rules with off-chain neural network training. ChainLearn has been adopted by several blockchain consortiums in Asia to pilot secure data marketplaces for healthcare and supply-chain traceability. In addition, Dr. Zhang has collaborated with industry partners to co-design smart contract templates that automatically detect and mitigate vulnerabilities using reinforcement learning. These innovations are paving the way for more resilient Web3 applications in finance, logistics and digital identity.
AMPLIFYING DIVERSITY AND COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT
Beyond her laboratory achievements, Dr. Zhang is a passionate advocate for women in STEM. She co-founded the Web3 Women Hong Kong Chapter, which organizes mentorship programs, hackathons and speaker series to empower female students and early-career professionals. Under her leadership, the chapter launched the Code4Change initiative, hosting workshops in underprivileged secondary schools to introduce blockchain basics and AI ethics. Dr. Zhang also serves on the editorial board of the Journal of Blockchain Research and volunteers as a reviewer for major AI conferences, where she champions policies to ensure inclusive peer-review processes.
INSTITUTIONAL IMPACT AND FUTURE OUTLOOK
PolyU President Professor Yang Wei congratulated Dr. Zhang on her CoinDesk recognition and noted that her success exemplifies the University’s strategic focus on digital transformation. “Dr. Zhang’s breakthroughs in secure AI-augmented blockchains not only elevate PolyU’s research profile but also create new industry partnerships that benefit Hong Kong’s innovation ecosystem,” Professor Yang said. Looking ahead, Dr. Zhang plans to expand ChainLearn into a cross-platform protocol compatible with emerging Web3 infrastructures and to explore decentralized governance models powered by explainable AI.
CONCLUSION
Dr. Zhang’s selection as a Top 50 Woman in Web3 & AI marks a significant milestone for both her career and PolyU’s ambitious research agenda. By fusing advanced AI methods with the decentralization ethos of Web3, she is charting a path toward secure, transparent and user-centric digital services. Her recognition by CoinDesk not only honors individual excellence but also inspires the next generation of women technologists to push the boundaries of what is possible in blockchain and artificial intelligence.
Three Takeaways
• Dr. Zhang’s ChainLearn framework uniquely combines on-chain governance with off-chain neural network training, enhancing blockchain security and privacy.
• Beyond research, she actively promotes diversity through the Web3 Women Hong Kong Chapter and Code4Change outreach in local schools.
• Her work strengthens PolyU’s position as a global hub for cutting-edge studies in decentralized AI systems and fosters industry collaborations in Asia.
FAQ
Q1: What criteria did CoinDesk use to select the Top 50 Women in Web3 & AI?
A1: CoinDesk evaluated nominees based on their contributions to blockchain and AI research, entrepreneurial impact, thought leadership, and efforts to advance diversity and inclusion in the technology sector.
Q2: How does ChainLearn improve upon existing blockchain consensus mechanisms?
A2: ChainLearn integrates federated learning into consensus protocols, enabling nodes to collaboratively train AI models on private data without central aggregation, thus preserving privacy and reducing computation overhead on the blockchain.
Q3: What opportunities does this recognition open up for Dr. Zhang and PolyU?
A3: The accolade enhances visibility for research partnerships, attracts top talent and funding, and amplifies PolyU’s influence in shaping global standards for secure, AI-driven decentralized systems.
