Dr Zhongbei Tian

Dr Zhongbei Tian

Department of Electronic, Electrical and Systems Engineering
Associate Professor in Transport Energy Systems

Contact details

Email
z.tian@bham.ac.uk
View my research portal
Address
School of Engineering
Department of Electronic, Electrical and Systems Engineering
University of Birmingham
Edgbaston
Birmingham
B15 2TT
UK

Dr Zhongbei Tian leads research in transport energy system decarbonisation. His research interests include modelling and analysis of energy systems for rail, road, and maritime transport; smart energy system management and optimisation; and the integration of sustainable transport energy systems with the Smart Grid.

He has published more than 100 high-impact papers and has led numerous projects funded by EPSRC, the Royal Society, Horizon 2020, Network Rail, RSSB, and Innovate UK. His research has been deployed internationally, including by Network Rail and Edinburgh Trams in the UK, Madrid Metro in Spain, SMRT in Singapore, and Beijing and Guangzhou Metro in China. He received the prestigious 2016 European Partnership for Railway Energy Settlement Systems (ERESS) Award for Best Energy Efficiency Project for Railways.

Qualifications

  • Fellow of the Higher Education Academy, 2022
  • PhD, Electronic, Electrical and Systems Engineering, University of Birmingham, 2017
  • BEng (1st Hon), Electronic and Electrical Engineering, University of Birmingham, 2013
  • BEng, Electrical Engineering and Automation, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, 2013

Biography

Dr Zhongbei Tian received BEng in Electrical and Electronic Engineering from the University of Birmingham and Huazhong University of Science and Technology (Wuhan, China) in 2013, and PhD at the University of Birmingham in 2017.

From 2017 to 2020, Dr Tian worked as a Research Fellow in Railway Power Systems at the Birmingham Centre for Railway Research and Education (BCRRE), where he delivered research projects funded by EU Horizon 2020, Innovate UK, Network Rail, and SMRT (Singapore).

Between 2020 and 2023, he was appointed Lecturer in Electrical Energy Systems at the University of Liverpool. During this period, he established the Transport Electrification Research Group and led EPSRC and Royal Society–funded projects as Principal Investigator. He also coordinated the Network for Innovative Sustainable Transportation Co-Simulation (NIST-CS), supported by the N8 Research Partnership.

Dr Tian returned to the University of Birmingham in 2023, where he is now an Associate Professor leading research on transport energy decarbonisation. His work focuses on developing international leadership in zero-carbon transport–energy integration systems, supported by EPSRC, the Royal Society, Innovate UK, and industrial partners.

Dr Tian has published over 100 high-impact papers in leading international journals including IEEE Transactions on Intelligent Transportation Systems, IEEE Transactions on Transport Electrification, Transport Research Part C: Emerging Technologies, etc. He serves as an associate editor at IEEE Transactions on Vehicular Technology and IET Intelligent Transport Systems.

Postgraduate supervision

Dr Zhongbei Tian is accepting PhD students and visiting scholars who are interested in transport and energy systems.

Please contact with Dr Zhongbei Tian directly to discuss the research topics and PhD scholarship.

Research

Research interests

  • Transport Energy System Modelling and Optimisation
  • Smart Grid and Transport Energy Integration
  • Vehicle Operation and optimisation

Publications

Highlight publications

Kamel, T, Tian, Z, Zangiabadi, M, Wade, N, Pickert, V & Tricoli, P 2022, 'Smart soft open point to synergically improve the energy efficiencies of the interconnected electrical railways with the low voltage grids', International Journal of Electrical Power and Energy Systems, vol. 142, 108288. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijepes.2022.108288

Recent publications

Article

Li, F, Hong, D, Ma, J, Tian, Z, Liang, H-N, Guo, J & Wang, K 2026, '3D-PV: Enhancing PV power prediction by modeling spatial uncertainty under dynamic shading conditions', Expert Systems with Applications, vol. 296, no. Part A, 128869. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.eswa.2025.128869

Luo, J, Gao, S, Tian, Z, Wei, X, Han, Z & Mi, J 2026, 'A Hierarchical Game-Decoupled-RL-Based Energy Flow Optimization Strategy for Cross-Regional Railway Integrated Energy System', IEEE Transactions on Smart Grid, vol. 17, no. 4, pp. 2646-2659. https://doi.org/10.1109/TSG.2026.3655819

Ambrus, ML, Hillmansen, S & Tian, Z 2026, 'Algorithmic Energy Management in Constrained Railway Traction Networks: A Systematic Review', IET Intelligent Transport Systems, vol. 20, no. 1, e70341. https://doi.org/10.1049/itr2.70341

Wen, T, Shen, Y, Fang, X, Tian, Z & Roberts, C 2026, 'A two-step transfer learning approach for railway point machine fault diagnosis under small sample conditions', Neurocomputing, vol. 676, 133043. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.neucom.2026.133043

Song, K, Cheng, J, Wu, M, Konstantinou, G, Tian, Z & Ma, C 2026, 'Error Characterization and Correction of a Simple Circuit Model for Accurate and Rapid Resonant Frequency Estimation in Traction Power Supply Systems', IEEE Transactions on Power Delivery, vol. 41, no. 4, pp. 1758-1770. https://doi.org/10.1109/TPWRD.2026.3674001

Mi, J, Yang, Z, Zhao, Y, Tian, Z, Lin, F & Zhong, Z 2026, 'Fast Quasi-optimal Control of On-board Energy Storage Systems for Regenerative Braking Energy Recovery based on Area-equivalence Principle', IEEE Transactions on Industrial Electronics. https://doi.org/10.1109/TIE.2026.3672774

Guo, P, Tian, Z, Yuan, Z, Zhang, X-Y, Dong, W, He, N, Sun, Q & Zhang, XP 2026, 'Flexible Interconnection Device-Driven Fluctuating Power Allocation Strategies in Interconnected Distribution Networks', Protection and Control of Modern Power Systems, vol. 11, no. 3, pp. 78-92. https://doi.org/10.23919/PCMP.2025.000120

Guo, P, Yuan, Z, Tian, Z, Zhang, XY, Yin, C & Ma, N 2026, 'Flexible low-voltage DC power distribution system integration for metro substations', International Journal of Electrical Power and Energy Systems, vol. 177, 111887. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijepes.2026.111887

Zhang, Y, Cui, D, Wang, W, Sun, X, Yuan, Z, Tian, Z & Dai, X 2026, 'Joint optimization of multi-train cooperative driving profiles and timetables for energy-efficient urban rail operations', Systems Science & Control Engineering, vol. 14, no. 1, 2602212. https://doi.org/10.1080/21642583.2025.2602212

Yang, L, Tian, Z, Hillmansen, S, Hua, Z & Zhang, X 2026, 'Multi-dimensional comparison of integrated energy systems in UK motorway service areas under low-carbon transition: perspectives from economics, environmental performance, and resilience', Applied Energy, vol. 414, 127838. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apenergy.2026.127838

Chinomi, N, Tian, Z, Kano, N, Chow, CI, Jiang, L, Song, K & Ma, C 2026, 'Optimal integration location and sizing of renewable energy systems in AC railways for cost optimisation', High-speed Railway. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.hspr.2025.12.005

Zhang, J, Zhang, X, Wu, J, Xu, Q, Liu, W, Tian, Z, Shen, C, Yang, Y, Wang, H, Liu, Y, Wen, Y, Pan, Z & Liu, Y 2026, 'Optimization operation of the integrated traction power supply system based on causal inference', Electric Power Systems Research, vol. 260, 113323. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.epsr.2026.113323

Conference article

Yuan, J, Huang, M, Ma, J, Man, KL & Tian, Z 2026, 'Frequency Domain-DQN for Flexible Photovoltaic Power Point Tracking Under Noisy Operating Condition', IEEE Transactions on Industry Applications, vol. 62, no. 3, 2025-SECSC-0006.R2, pp. 4392-4404. https://doi.org/10.1109/TIA.2025.3634054

Preprint

Ambrus, ML, Hillmansen, S & Tian, Z 2026 'Algorithmic Energy Management in Constrained Railway Traction Networks: A Systematic Review' arXiv. https://doi.org/10.48550/arXiv.2604.06369

Ambrus, ML, Liu, X, Hillmansen, S & Tian, Z 2026 'Estimating Available Traction Power in Multi-Train AC Railway Networks from a Distance-Dependent Power Envelope' arXiv. https://doi.org/10.48550/arXiv.2606.28948

View all publications in research portal