Rate My Professor Xiangming Zhou

Xiangming Zhou is Professor (Chair) and Head of Department of Civil & Environmental Engineering at Brunel University London's College of Engineering, Design and Physical Sciences, a role he has held since September 2018. He earned a BEng in Civil & Structural Engineering and an MEng (Res) in Structural Engineering from Tongji University, Shanghai, China, in 1997 and 2000 respectively, a PhD in Civil Engineering from the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology in 2004, and a Postgraduate Certificate in Higher Education from the University of Greenwich in 2009. A Fellow of the Higher Education Academy, Zhou joined Brunel University London in October 2008 as Lecturer in Civil Engineering Design, progressing to Senior Lecturer in 2011, Reader in 2016, and Professor in 2018. His earlier career includes Lecturer/Senior Lecturer in Structural Engineering at the University of Greenwich from 2007 to 2008, and University Post-Doctoral Fellow at Hong Kong Polytechnic University and Visiting Scholar at Hong Kong University of Science and Technology from 2005 to 2007.

Professor Zhou leads the Resilient Structures and Construction Materials Research Group since September 2019, with research specializations in advanced construction materials and technologies, including extrusion, 3D printing and additive manufacturing of concrete, low-carbon and energy-efficient cementitious materials such as geopolymers, alkali-activated cements from industrial wastes, magnesium-based cements, and encapsulated phase-change materials; valorization of construction/demolition and mining wastes; nanotechnology in cement-based materials; and smart/functional materials for infrastructure. In structural engineering, his interests include seismic testing/analysis/design of steel-concrete composite high-rise buildings, performance-based multi-hazards mitigation under extreme loads, shear behaviour of precast concrete segmental bridges, and fracture/impact of fibre-reinforced concrete. He has authored over 140 peer-reviewed journal papers in outlets like Construction and Building Materials, Cement and Concrete Research, Engineering Structures, ACI Structural Journal, and Engineering Fracture Mechanics, including highly cited works such as 'Advanced Concrete Technology' (Li et al., 2022), 'Impact properties of geopolymer based extrudates incorporated with fly ash and PVA short fiber' (Zhang et al., 2008), and 'Light-weight wood–magnesium oxychloride cement composite building products made by extrusion' (Zhou & Li, 2012). As Principal Investigator, he has secured major grants including Horizon Europe projects (e.g., Green INSTRUCT €4.99M, LCMMCMs €260k), UKRI CSTO2NE (£198k), Royal Society NIF (£298k), and British Council ISP funds (£350k+). Awards include the 1st Class Natural Sciences Award from the Chinese Ministry of Education. He contributes to RILEM technical committees (MRP, DFC, TES, ADC, PFC), chairs international workshops (e.g., RILEM on rheology/digital fabrication), and serves on conference committees.