Qi Zhang

Background & Expertise

Qi Zhang received his BS in mechanical engineering from RWTH Aachen University, his MS in advanced chemical engineering from Imperial College London, and his PhD in chemical engineering from Carnegie Mellon University. Prior to joining the University of Minnesota as an associate professor in 2018, he worked at BASF as a conceptual process engineer. His research in sustainable systems engineering focuses on the development of computational tools for optimizing the design and operation of sustainable process systems across multiple spatio-temporal scales, from process to supply chain and from scheduling of plant operations at the hourly level to long-term planning over many years. Particular topics of interest include electrification, the decarbonization of the chemical industry, and carbon monetization. Zhang is a recipient of the NSF CAREER Award, the Junior Sergeant Medal, the Hutchison Medal, and the AIChE CAST Outstanding Young Researcher Award. He has also been awarded the McKnight Land-Grant Professorship and the Guillermo E. Borja Fareer Development Award by the University of Minnesota.