Houxiang Zhang

Houxiang Zhang is a Professor and Deputy Head of Department (Research) at the Department of Ocean Operations and Civil Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU) in Ålesund, Norway. He joined NTNU in 2011 and holds an industry-supported gift professorship (2011-2016). His research focuses on biological robots/modular robotics and virtual prototyping/marine mechatronics, with over 300 publications and 8 patents.

• Ph.D. in Mechanical and Electronic Engineering (2003)
• Habilitation in Informatics (2011)

Research Interests include:

• Bio-inspired robotics and system design
• Marine automation and ship intelligence
• Digital twin technology and co-simulation
• Hybrid modeling approaches
• Artificial intelligence applications in maritime systems

Scientific Awards and recognitions:

• Multiple IEEE best paper awards (2008, 2014, 2015, 2023, 2024)
• Finalist in IEEE Robotics and Automation conferences
• Dimitris N. Chorafas Award for outstanding PhD work
• Academy memberships: IEEE Senior (2012), NTVA (2019), DKNVS (2024)

Advising and Research Leadership:

• Supervised 21 PhD/Master's students
• WP Leader for EU Horizon project RoboSAPIENS (2024-2026, 7.5M Euros)
• Key member in Norwegian Digital Ocean Space-Møre Ocean Lab (2023-2030, 30.7M NOK)
• Coordinated major SFI projects (2015-2022, 190M NOK each)