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

Liu, J, Chen, L, Tian, Z, Zhao, N & Roberts, C 2025, 'A novel multi-agent-based approach for train rescheduling in large-scale railway networks', Applied Sciences, vol. 15, no. 14, 7996. https://doi.org/10.3390/app15147996

Dong, H, Tian, Z, Liao, K, Yang, J & Spencer, JW 2025, 'Three-Stage Energy Management of Urban Rail Transit based Micro Grid and EV Charging Station with V2T Technology', IEEE Transactions on Transportation Electrification. https://doi.org/10.1109/TTE.2025.3543222, https://doi.org/10.1109/TTE.2025.3543222

Liu, X, Tian, Z, Jiang, L, Lu, S & Zeng, P 2024, 'An improved energy‐efficient driving strategy for routes with various gradients and speed limits', IET Intelligent Transport Systems. https://doi.org/10.1049/itr2.12482

Ying, Y, Tian, Z, Wu, M, Liu, Q & Tricoli, P 2024, 'A real-time energy management strategy of flexible smart traction power supply system based on deep Q-learning', IEEE Transactions on Intelligent Transportation Systems . https://doi.org/10.1109/TITS.2024.3414446

Dong, H, Tian, Z, Spencer, JW, Fletcher, D & Hajiabady, S 2024, 'Bilevel Optimization of Sizing and Control Strategy of Hybrid Energy Storage System in Urban Rail Transit Considering Substation Operation Stability', IEEE Transactions on Transportation Electrification, vol. 10, no. 4, 10494394, pp. 10102-10114. https://doi.org/10.1109/TTE.2024.3385821

Jiang, K, Tian, Z, Wen, T, Hillmansen, S & Zhang, Y 2024, 'Cost modelling-based route applicability analysis of United Kingdom passenger railway decarbonization options', International Journal of Electrical Power and Energy Systems, vol. 160, 110094. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijepes.2024.110094

Peng, Y, Lu, S, Chen, F, Liu, X & Tian, Z 2024, 'Energy-efficient train control incorporating inherent reduced-power and hybrid braking characteristics of railway vehicles', Transportation Research. Part C, vol. 163, 104626. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.trc.2024.104626

Wu, C, Lu, S, Tian, Z, Xue, F & Jiang, L 2024, 'Energy-Efficient Train Control with Onboard Energy Storage Systems considering Stochastic Regenerative Braking Energy', IEEE Transactions on Transportation Electrification.

Guo, P, Tian, Z, Yuan, Z, Qu, L, Zhang, XY & Zhang, XP 2024, 'Future‐proofing city power grids: FID‐based efficient interconnection strategies for major load‐centred environments', IET Renewable Power Generation. https://doi.org/10.1049/rpg2.13027

Kamel, T, Zangiabadi, M, Dong, H, Tian, Z, Wade, N, Pickert, V & Tricoli, P 2024, 'Practical Demonstration and Novel Optimization Control for a Smart Soft Open Point to Maximize the Synergy between the DC Metro Line and the LV Distribution Grid', IEEE Transactions on Transportation Electrification. https://doi.org/10.1109/TTE.2024.3403235

Ying, Y, Mingli, W, Tian, Z, Liu, Q & Tricoli, P 2023, 'Capacity configuration method of flexible smart traction power supply system based on double-layer optimization', IEEE Transactions on Transportation Electrification. https://doi.org/10.1109/TTE.2023.3244551

Dong, H, Tian, Z, Spencer, JW, Fletcher, D & Hajiabady, S 2023, 'Coordinated Control Strategy of Railway Multisource Traction System With Energy Storage and Renewable Energy', IEEE Transactions on Intelligent Transportation Systems, vol. 24, no. 12, 10127580, pp. 15702-15713. https://doi.org/10.1109/TITS.2023.3271464

Kamel, T, Amor, P, Polater, N, Zhang, Y, Tian, Z, Hillmansen, S & Tricoli, P 2023, 'Development of a smart hybrid drive system with advanced logistics for railway applications', International Journal of Hydrogen Energy. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijhydene.2023.01.293

Din, T, Tian, Z, Bukhari, SMAM, Hillmansen, S & Roberts, C 2023, 'Hybrid railway vehicle trajectory optimisation using a non‐convex function and evolutionary hybrid forecast algorithm', IET Intelligent Transport Systems. https://doi.org/10.1049/itr2.12406

Conference contribution

Dong, H, Tian, Z, Spencer, JW, Fletcher, D & Fang, L 2023, Control Strategy and Analysis of Railway Traction System with Energy Storage System and Renewable Energy Source. in 2022 3rd International Conference on Advanced Electrical and Energy Systems (AEES)., 10079355, IEEE, pp. 475-480, 2022 3rd International Conference on Advanced Electrical and Energy Systems (AEES), 23/09/22. https://doi.org/10.1109/AEES56284.2022.10079355

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