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

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

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

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

Wen, T, Chen, J, Cai, Y, Wang, J, Fang, X, Tian, Z & Roberts, C 2025, 'A Polynomial Recursive Nonlinear Least-Squares Algorithm for High-Accuracy Parameter Identification of Heavy-Haul Train Dynamics', IEEE Transactions on Instrumentation and Measurement, vol. 74, 3001914. https://doi.org/10.1109/TIM.2025.3568076

Golightly, D, Bhattacharyya, A, Pierce, K, Tian, Z, Lin, Z, Liu, R, Lyu, X, Jiang, K & Liu, X 2025, 'Applying Collaborative Co-Simulation to Railway Traction Energy Consumption', Electronics (Switzerland), vol. 14, no. 7, 1467. https://doi.org/10.3390/electronics14071467

Jiang, K, Tian, Z, Wang, Y, Ye, J & Hillmansen, S 2025, 'Battery Multiple Units: A Techno-Economic Analysis of Development Pathways', IEEE Transactions on Transportation Electrification. https://doi.org/10.1109/TTE.2025.3647443

Jiang, K, Tian, Z, Wen, T, Song, K, Hillmansen, S & Ochieng, WY 2025, 'Collaborative optimization strategy of hydrogen fuel cell train energy and thermal management system based on deep reinforcement learning', Applied Energy, vol. 393, 126057. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apenergy.2025.126057

Liu, X, Tian, Z, Gao, Y, Jiang, L & Goverde, RMP 2025, 'Data-Driven Substation Energy Minimization for Train Speed-Profile and Dwell-Time Optimization', IEEE Transactions on Transportation Electrification, vol. 11, no. 5, pp. 11320-11331. https://doi.org/10.1109/TTE.2025.3575703

Mi, J, Yang, Z, Tian, Z, Zhong, Z, Lin, F & Sun, K 2025, 'Dynamic Power Flow Tracing in Urban Rail Transit Based on Circuit Theory and State Variable Method', IEEE Transactions on Transportation Electrification, vol. 11, no. 6, pp. 12771-12789. https://doi.org/10.1109/TTE.2025.3596072

Wu, C, Lu, S, Tian, Z, Xue, F & Jiang, L 2025, 'Energy-Efficient Train Control with Onboard Energy Storage Systems considering Stochastic Regenerative Braking Energy', IEEE Transactions on Transportation Electrification, vol. 11, no. 1, pp. 257-274. https://doi.org/10.1109/TTE.2024.3389960

Luo, J, Wang, Y, Gao, S, Wei, X, Tian, Z & Shi, J 2025, 'Multiagent-Game-Based Reinforcement Learning Energy Management Strategy for Flexible Traction Power Supply System With Energy Storage System', IEEE Transactions on Transportation Electrification, vol. 11, no. 3, pp. 8474-8488. https://doi.org/10.1109/TTE.2025.3541556

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, vol. 11, no. 3, 10891814. https://doi.org/10.1109/TTE.2025.3543222

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

Ambrus, ML, Liu, X, Hillmansen, S & Tian, Z 2026 'Real-Time Location-Aware Demand-Shaping for Power-Constrained AC Railway Corridors' arXiv. https://doi.org/10.48550/arXiv.2607.04406

View all publications in research portal