Email: y.zhang10@aston.ac.uk

Phone: +44(0)121.204.3391

Address: MB226E, Aston University, Aston Triangle, Birmingham, B4 7ET, UK.

Yuqing joined Aston University as a lecturer in 2015 and became a Senior Lecturer in 2019 in School of Engineering and Applied Science. Prior to that, he was a research scientist at Texas A&M Transportation Institute (TTI), USA. Yuqing received his PhD degree in Civil Engineering from Texas A&M University under supervision of Prof. Robert L. Lytton. He was awarded BSc and MSc degrees from Southeast University in Nanjing, China.

Yuqing is now serving as the director of Aston Institute of Materials Research (AIMR) and leading an infrastructural material research group. His research is focused on durable, renewable and intelligent road infrastructures and materials. Yuqing looks forward to working with multidisciplinary academics, industries and governmental agencies on the relevant areas to build better roads for people's better life!

• 2019 - present: Senior Lecturer, Aston University, UK;
• 2015 - 2019: Lecturer, Aston University, UK;
• 2014 - 2015: Assistant Research Scientist, Texas A&M Transportation Institute, USA;
• 2013 - 2014: Postdoctoral Research Associate, Texas A&M Transportation Institute, USA;
• 2008 - 2012: Graduate Research Assistant, Texas A&M University, USA;

• Renewable Construction Materials (bio-bitumen, plastic-bitumen, etc.)
• Multiphysics and Multiscale Modelling of Construction Materials;
• Performance Predictions of Road Infrastructures;
• Intelligent and Nondestructive Road Technologies for Smart Cities.

Research Profile in Google Scholar, ResearchGate and Personal Website. 

• EC1CMS: Construction Materials and Surveying
• EC2BDT: Building Design and Construction Technology 2
• EC3CT3: Construction Technology 3
• EC310A: Final Year Project
• EM4020: Master Degree Project and Dissertation

Current Postdoctoral Research Fellows:

• Dr. Yangming Gao - Adhesion and anti-aging modelling of bituminous materials
• Dr. Linglin Li - Healing multiphysics modelling of asphalt materials and pavements 

Current PhD Research Students:

• Mrs. Eman L. Omairey - Long-term aging performance prediction of asphalt pavements
• Mrs. Charlotte Abdy - Waste plastics derived bitumen
• Mr. Huajie Guo - Molecular dynamics modelling of plastic bitumen and asphalt

I am open to supervise postgraduate and PhD research students in broad areas of road engineering, bituminous/asphalt materials, unbound granular materials, engineering mechanics, numerical modelling, infrastructural sustainability, nondestructive testing, etc. 

(1)     EU Horizon 2020 (H2020), Marie S. Curie IF project, “Durable Infrastructure Materials Modified by self-assembled hollow nanostructured materials (DIMMs)”, Grant No. 846028 (£179,948; Lead as a PI; 2020-2022).

(2)     EU Horizon 2020 (H2020), Marie S. Curie IF project, “Healing Multiphysics of Asphalt Materials (HMAM)”, Grant No. 789551 (£173,347; Lead as a PI; 2018-2020).

(3)     EU Horizon 2020 (H2020), Marie S. Curie IF project, “Ageing Multiphysics of Asphalt Materials (AMAM)”, Grant No. 749232 (£168,148; Lead as a PI; 2017-2019).

(4)     European Regional Development Fund (ERDF), “Developing functional materials to support small-to-medium sized businesses (SMEs)” (£1.4 million, Lead as a Co-I, 2018-2021).

(5)     Royal Society, International Exchange Programme, “Piezoelectric Energy Harvesting in UK's Road Infrastructure”, Grant No. IES\R1\191179, (£12,000; Lead as a PI; 2019-2021)

(6)     Royal Society, International Exchange Programme, “Durable and Pollutant-free Road Subgrade built with Construction and Demolition Waste (CDW)”, Grant No. IEC\NSFC\181591, (£12,000; Lead as a PI; 2019-2021)

(7)     Aggregate Industries UK, Ltd., Industry sponsored PhD Studentship project, “Producing Bitumen from Waste Plastics through Pyrolysis and Upgrading Technologies” (£60,000; Lead as a PI; 2019-2021)

(8)     National Asphalt Research Consortium, “Reliable Quantification of Cracking Resistance of Asphalt Binders” (£6,000; Lead as a PI; 2019-2020)

(9)     The Academy of Medical Sciences, Global Challenges Research Fund (GCRF) project, “Pyrolysis of Municipal Organic Waste for Renewable Road Construction Materials”, Grant No. GCRFNG\100203 (£25,000; Lead as a PI; 2018-2019).

(10)  Royal Academy of Engineering, Distinguished Visiting Fellowship project, “Multiple-component Binder System Design for 100% Recycling of Reclaimed Asphalt Pavement”, Grant No. DVF1718\8\52 (£5,500; Lead as a PI; 2018)

(11)  Newton Fund via British Council, UK-China Joint Research and Innovation Partnership project, “Long-term Ageing Performance Evaluation of Bio-bitumen from Municipal Solid Waste”, Grant No. 351957889, (£10,300; Lead as a PI; 2018)

(12)  Royal Society, Kan Tong Po Visiting Fellowships, “Feasibility Study of Producing Renewable Bitumen from Waste Tyre Rubber and Waste Plastic through Pyrolysis”, Grant No. KTP\R1\170001 (£2,922; Lead as a PI; 2018)

(13)  Royal Academy of Engineering, Distinguished Visiting Fellowship project, “Diffusion Multiscale Modelling for Superior Recycled Asphalt Pavement”, Grant No. DVF1718\7\10, (£5,275; Lead as a PI; 2017)

• The UK Higher Education Academy (HEA), Fellow
• International Road Federation (IRF), Fellow
• National Asphalt Research Consortium (NARC), Steering committee member
• International Society for Asphalt Pavements (ISAP), Member 
• RILEM, International Union of Laboratories and Experts in Construction Materials, Systems and Structures, Member
• American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE), Associate Member
• American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM), Member