Prof. Xudong Zhao

Harbin Institute of Technology, Shenzhen

Biography: Fellow of the Royal Academy of Engineering (FREng), Member of the European Academy of Sciences (MAE), Fellow of the European Academy of Sciences (FEurASc), a Fellow of the UK Energy Institute, and a Fellow of the Chartered Institution of Building Services Engineers. 

Prof. Xudong Zhao is internationally renowned for his pioneering work in renewable‐energy technologies, energy‐efficiency solutions, and sustainable heating and cooling systems. His research focuses on zero‐carbon heating and cooling enabled by advanced renewable‐energy and efficiency technologies. Prof. Zhao has led 68 research projects funded by the UK and EU governments and industry, with cumulative research funding of £28 million (approximately ¥260 million). He has completed more than 40 engineering‐consultancy projects, generating over £5 million (approximately ¥45 million) in consulting revenue. He holds 14 patents and has supervised 41 doctoral students and 31 postdoctoral researchers. His publication record includes 340 peer‐reviewed articles, of which he is first or corresponding author on 166, and 205 articles in top‐quartile (Q1) journals. In recognition of his citation impact, he was named a Global Highly Cited Researcher in 2017 and has been included in Stanford University’s “World’s Top 2% Scientists” list for five consecutive years (2020–2024).

Prof. Zhao serves as Field Editor for ENERGY and as Associate Editor for International Journal of Low Carbon Technologies, in addition to holding editorial board positions on eight other international journals. He has delivered invited plenary and keynote lectures at more than 30 international conferences.

His research has been honored with numerous international awards, including the 2024 AI‐Attiyah Foundation Lifetime Achievement Award in International Energy, the Newton Prize Shortlist, the UK Government’s Lighthouse (RUSHLIGHT) Innovation Award, the EU Dragon Star Innovation Award, the World Association of Sustainable Energy Technologies (WASET) Innovation Awards (1st–3rd), the 2022 UK Institute of Refrigeration Innovation Shortlist Award, the 2022 ScienceFather Best Research Award, and the University of Hull 2018 Excellence in Research Award. In academic governance and advisory capacities, Prof. Zhao is a member of the Engineering Priority Panel for the UK Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC), a member of the EU Committee on District Heating and Cooling Technologies, a member of the Executive Committee of the World Association of Sustainable Energy Technologies, and a member of the UK Government’s Green Futures Expert Review Panel. In China, he serves as a panel member for key and major projects under the Ministry of Science and Technology and as an external reviewer for major grants awarded by the National Natural Science Foundation of China.

He has co‐authored the Handbook of Integrated Solar Energy Systems and the Green Building Energy Systems Manual. His work is also cited in international reference volumes such as HVAC and Air Conditioning and the Building Code 2010 – Water Quality, Hot Water Safety, and Water Efficiency.