Dr Hongwei Zhang BEng, MSc, PhD, CEng, MIET, FHEA

I graduated with a First Class BEng degree in Automatic Control (1993), an MSc in Control Engineering (1996) and PhD in Aerospace Engineering (1999) all from Harbin Institute of Technology.

While working as a Research Associate at the University of Manchester (2001-2003), I completed my second Ph.D. in the field of Advanced Process Control and Condition Monitoring in 2004 from the School of Engineering.

Before joining Sheffield Hallam University in 2007, I worked as a Lecturer in Control Engineering at North East Wales Institute, University of Wales (now Glyndŵr University) (2003-2006).

My role at Sheffield Hallam University involves working as the Subject Group Leader of Power, Electrical and Control Engineering, which consists of 16 permanent academic staff. My main responsibility is to provide academic and management leadership to the subject group. He is also responsible for encouraging innovation, research, and continuous quality enhancement in the group. 

Before that, I worked as Subject Group Leader of the Electrical, Electronic and Control Engineering Group (2014-2017) and Automation and Operations Engineering Group (2009-2014).

I have been leading and delivering many MSc, MEng and BEng modules relevant to Automation and Control Engineering. I have supervised many BEng final year projects, MSc Project and Dissertations and have co-supervised 9 MPhil and PhD students to completion to date.

Areas of Interest

• Process Control
• Condition Monitoring
• Industrial Automation
• Industry 4.0
• Artificial Intelligence

Areas of Interest:
- Process Control;
- Condition Monitoring;
- Industrial Automation;
- Artificial Intelligence.

Department of Engineering and Mathematics

Science, Technology and Arts

Department of Engineering and Mathematics

Science, Technology and Arts

Subject Area/Group: Power, Electrical and Control Engineering Subject Group

• Control Systems and Their Applications (Level 6 MEng/BEng Electrical and Electronic Engineering)
• Process Dynamics and Control (Level 6, MEng/BEng Food Engineering)
• Industrial Automation (Level 7, MSc Automation, Control and Robotics, MEng Mechanical Engineering and MEng Electrical and Electronic Engineering)

I also teach part of the following module:

• Control of Linear Systems (Level 7, MSc Automation, Control and Robotics)

• Centre for Automation and Robotics Research
• Materials and Engineering Research Institute

National Centre of Excellence for Food Engineering
Centre for Automation and Robotics Research
Materials and Engineering Research Institute

My research has benefited from significant input from industry and has attracted funding and support from government and companies in the UK and China for many projects.

Current Projects:

SUSFOOD2 - A Horizon 2020 ERA-NET Cofund on Sustainable Food Production and Consumption, 2018 – 2021, Co-Investigator. ‘Improving sustainability in food processing using Moderate Electric Fields (MEC) for process intensification and smart processing. Project ID: MEFPROC, €1.353M in total working with University College Dublin and 5 other European partners.
• KTP project with World Feeds Ltd, 2016 – 2018, Academic Supervisor. 'Development of embedded bespoke manufacturing processes to produce high volumes of high value advanced food products', £133K.

Recently Completed Projects:

• Innovate UK project, 2015 – 2017, Co-I. ‘Effective milk processing with variable composition’, approx. £700K in total working with Nestle, Foss and First Milk.
• Consultancy Project with SSG Insight in Leeds - Publication of a White Paper
'Harnessing Brexit, Technology and Insight - British manufacturers maintaining a competitive edge in an age of uncertainty & opportunity' (Web Link: http://www.ssginsight.com/brexit-tech-insight). £3.5K

Sponsors and Partners: 

• Innovate UK
• Nestlé UK & Ireland
• FOSS
• First Milk
• World Feeds Ltd
• Penso Power Limited
• Limejump Limited
• C-Tech Innovation
• United Utilities
• Festo Didactic
• SSG Insight

Sponsors and Partners:
• Innovate UK
• Nestlé UK & Ireland
• FOSS
• First Milk
• World Feeds Ltd
• JWEPANDA Limited
• Bilin Power Technology Limited
• C-Tech Innovation
• United Utilities
• Festo Didactic

Key Publications

Zhang, H., & Lennox, B. (2004). Integrated condition monitoring and control of fed-batch fermentation processes. Journal of Process Control, 14 (1), 41-50. http://doi.org/10.1016/S0959-1524(03)00044-1

Zhang, H., & Lennox, B. (2003). Multi-way optimal control of a benchmark fed-batch fermentation process. Transactions of the Institute of Measurement and Control, 25 (5), 403-417. http://doi.org/10.1191/0142331203tm0100oa

Zhang, H., Lennox, B., Goulding, P.R., & Leung, A.Y.T. (2000). A float-encoded genetic algorithm technique for integrated optimization of piezoelectric actuator and sensor placement and feedback gains. Smart Materials and Structures, 9 (4), 552-557. http://doi.org/10.1088/0964-1726/9/4/319

Journal articles

Saleh, I., Ali, R., & Zhang, H. (2018). Experimental testing and validation of the mathematical model for a self-humidifying PEM fuel cell. Journal of Materials Science and Chemical Engineering, 6 (4), 202-218. http://doi.org/10.4236/msce.2018.64019

Saleh, I.M., Ali, R., & Zhang, H. (2018). Environmental Impact of High Altitudes on the Operation of PEM Fuel Cell Based UAS. Energy and Power Engineering, 10 (03), 87-105. http://doi.org/10.4236/epe.2018.103007

Saleh, I.M.M., Ali, R., & Zhang, H. (2016). Simplified mathematical model of proton exchange membrane fuel cell based on horizon fuel cell stack. Journal of Modern Power Systems and Clean Energy, 4 (4), 668-679. http://doi.org/10.1007/s40565-016-0196-5

Zhang, H. (2009). Software Sensors and Their Applications in Bioprocess. . http://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-01888-6_2

Zhang, H. (2008). Optimal control of a fed-batch yeast fermentation process based on Least Square Support Vector Machine. International Journal of Engineering Systems Modelling and Simulation, 1 (1), 63-68. http://doi.org/10.1504/IJESMS.2008.018850

Zhang, H., Klaveness, B., & Vagapov, Y. (2006). Least square support vector machine based soft-sensing for fed-batch yeast fermentation - A comparative study. World Journal of Engineering, 3 (4), 1-8.

Zhang, H., Lian, Z., Yan, K., Sun, Y., Yuan, J., & Zhang, Z. (2006). Decision support for choice optimal power generation projects: Fuzzy comprehensive evaluation model based on the electricity market. Energy Policy, 34 (17), 3359-3364. http://doi.org/10.1016/j.enpol.2005.06.021

Lennox, B., Zhang, H., Lovett, D., & Sandoz, D. (2004). An integrated approach to advanced process control and condition monitoring. Computing and Control Engineering Journal, 15 (1), 32-37.

Conference papers

Haire, M., Xu, X., Alboul, L., Penders, J., & Zhang, H. (2019). Ship Hull Repair Using A Swarm Of Autonomous Underwater Robots: A Self-Assembly Algorithm. ECMR 2019 (European Conference on Mobile Robotics). http://doi.org/10.1109/ECMR.2019.8870910

Haire, M., Xu, X., Alboul, L., Penders, J., & Zhang, H. (2019). Ship hull inspection using a swarm of autonomous underwater robots: a Search algorithm. 2019 IEEE International Symposium on Safety, Security, and Rescue Robotics (SSRR). http://doi.org/10.1109/SSRR.2019.8848963

Meng, Q., Zhang, H., & Howarth, M. (2019). Performances Comparison between Real-Time Auto-Tuning PID and Conventional PID Controller for a Dairy Industrial Evaporation Process Control. DEStech transactions on computer science and engineering.

Kalashnikov, A., Zhang, H., & Abramiuk, M. (2018). Automated recording and processing of lecture attendance data using RFID student cards. PROCEEDINGS OF THE VI INTERNATIONAL SCIENTIFIC CONFERENCE ADVANCED INFORMATION SYSTEMS AND TECHNOLOGIES AIST-2018, 81-84.

Kalashnikov, A., Zhang, H., Jennings, J., & Abramriuk, M.-.M. (2017). Remote laboratory: using Internet-of-Things (IoT) for E-learning. In Comparison of the responsiveness of ultrasonic oscillating temperature sensors (UOTSes) and conventional sensors to temperature inflection points, (pp. 43-46). Springer: http://aist.sumdu.edu.ua/main/

Butler, D., & Zhang, H. (2012). Intelligent software sensors and process prediction for glass container forming processes based on multivariate statistical process control techniques. In Proceedings of 2012 UKACC International Conference on Control, (pp. 281-285). IEEE: http://doi.org/10.1109/CONTROL.2012.6334643

Zhang, H., Zhang, Z., & Lan, L.H. (2010). Evolutionary optimization of a fed-batch penicillin fermentation process. In 2010 International Symposium on Computer, Communication, Control and Automation, Tainan, 5 May 2010 - 7 May 2010 (pp. 403). http://doi.org/10.1109/3CA.2010.5533789

Lan, L.H., & Zhang, H. (2010). Frequency domain criteria for lp-robust stability of systems with fuzzy parameters. In 2010 International Symposium on Computer, Communication, Control and Automation, 3CA 2010, Tainan, 5 May 2010 - 7 May 2010 (pp. 318). http://doi.org/10.1109/3CA.2010.5533820

Zhang, H., & Vagapov, Y. (2006). LS-SVM Based Software Sensor for Fed-batch Yeast Fermentation and Comparative Studies. In 2006 IEEE International Conference on Electro/Information Technology, (pp. 564-568). IEEE: http://doi.org/10.1109/EIT.2006.252204

Zhang, H., Zouaoui, Z., & Lennox, B. (2005). A COMPARATIVE STUDY OF SOFT-SENSING METHODS FOR FED-BATCH FERMENTATION PROCESSES. IFAC Proceedings Volumes, 38 (1), 55-60. http://doi.org/10.3182/20050703-6-CZ-1902.02213

Book chapters

Zhang, H. (2008). Intelligent software sensors for fed-batch fermentation processes. In Proceedings of the UKACC International Conference on Control 2008. University of Manchester: https://ukacc.group.shef.ac.uk/proceedings/control2008/Proceedings.html

Belloc, C., Zhang, H., Vagapov, Y., & Moreno, P. (2006). A Step Voltage Response Method for Identification of Induction Motor Parameters at Stand Still. In 2006 IEEE International Conference on Electro/Information Technology. (pp. 109-112). IEEE: http://doi.org/10.1109/EIT.2006.252171

Katawaluwa, M., Zhang, H., Vagapov, Y., & Evans, J. (2006). Simulation of Wind Heat Generator. In 2006 IEEE International Conference on Electro/Information Technology. (pp. 479-482). IEEE: http://doi.org/10.1109/EIT.2006.252138

Xu, X., Zhang, H., & Carbone, G. (n.d.). Case studies on nonlinear control theory of the inverted pendulum. In Boubake, O., & Iriarte, R. (Eds.) Inverted pendulum: from theory to new innovations in control and robotics. IET

Theses / Dissertations

Salah, I.M.M. (n.d.). Modelling, simulation and performance evaluation: PEM fuel cells for high altitude UAS. (Doctoral thesis). Supervised by Ali, R., & Zhang, H.

I am currently acting as an external examiner for the MSc Electrical and Electronic Engineering programmes at Glyndŵr University. Previously, I worked as external examiners at The University of South Wales and The University of Ulster.

I have also externally examined several MPhil and PhD students at Glyndŵr University and the University of Manchester.

I am working in the Editorial Board of International Journal of Engineering Systems Modelling and Simulation and have been serving as a referee for many international journals and publishers.

I am the President of China-Britain Technology and Trade Association (CBTTA) which is a charity registered in England and Wales.

Current Projects:
- Mr. Qingbo Meng (PhD student). Advanced Process Control and Condition Monitoring with Applications in the Food Industry.
- A new PhD student is being recruited for the ‘Improving sustainability in food processing using Moderate Electric Fields (MEC) for process intensification and smart processing' project.