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Runzhi Zhang is a pioneering researcher in soft robotics, with a focus on underwater manipulation, proprioceptive sensing, and bio-inspired actuation. His work bridges the gap between compliant robotic systems and extreme environment applications, particularly in underwater and medical domains. Zhang's most cited paper (62 citations) introduces an underwater robotic manipulator using soft bladders and depth-independent actuation, overcoming the size and weight limitations of conventional rigid manipulators for sampling and service tasks. He also developed a cephalopod-inspired soft-robotic siphon (17 citations) that achieves thrust vectoring and flow regulation, enabling compact, agile underwater propulsion. In sensing, Zhang advanced soft robot proprioception (21 citations) through unified soft body encoding and recurrent neural networks, and created a multimodal hydrogel soft-robotic sensor (17 citations) for multifunctional perception in harsh conditions. His notable achievement includes a soft exoskeleton for temporomandibular disorder therapy, demonstrating the clinical potential of soft actuators. With over 100 total citations, Zhang's contributions are shaping the future of adaptive, safe, and versatile soft robotic systems for challenging environments.