Xian Zhou is currently a Research Support Program Fellow at NICM Health Research Institute. Her research focuses on natural products, with a particular interest in cardiovascular disease and mental health. She has been a part of NICM HRI since 2011 and has played a crucial role in strengthening the preclinical research program. Her work centers on investigating the synergistic mechanistic actions among constituents in complex herbal formulations. She received her Master's degree in Herbal Medicines (Honors) from the University of Sydney in 2011, followed by her Ph.D. from Western Sydney University in 2017. She was the main investigator of an ARC project that explored the synergistic mechanisms of functional foods. Her research demonstrated the therapeutic potential of several herbal interventions against acute and systematic inflammation using a synergistic approach.