Xuan

Dr. Xuan Zhang

Assistant Professor at Tsinghua-Berkeley Shenzhen Institute (TBSI)

TBSI Website

Post Doctoral Fellow in School of Engineering and Applied Sciences (SEAS), and Harvard Center for Green Buildings and Cities (CGBC), Harvard University

Harvard Website

Background

In 2015, I completed my D.Phil Programme in Control Engineering in Department of Engineering Science, University of Oxford, under the supervision of Prof. Antonis Papachristodoulou. Before joining Oxford, I received my B.Eng degree from Department of Automation, Tsinghua University, China, in 2011. From Sep. 2014 to Dec. 2014, I was a visiting graduate student in Prof. Na Li's group in School of Engineering and Applied Sciences (SEAS), Harvard University.

Research Interests

• Networked systems: Optimization and control for smart power networks; HVAC system control in energy efficient buildings; network congestion control/utility maximization; consensus of multi-agent systems through mean-field games; linear (time-delay) systems with input saturation and delay.

• Convex optimization, reverse- and forward-engineering.

• Nonlinear dynamical systems, Lyapunov stability.

Publications

1. R. Kang, X. Zhang, A. Papachristodoulou and M. McCulloch, Indicating low voltage network stress using tap change detection. IET Generation, Transmission and Distribution, 2017, submitted.

2. X. Zhang, A. Papachristodoulou and N. Li, Distributed control for reaching optimal steady state in network systems: An optimization approach. IEEE Transactions on Automatic Control, vol. 63, no. 3, pp. 864-871, 2018. [1][Long version]

3. D. Bauso, X. Zhang and A. Papachristodoulou, Density flow in dynamical networks via mean-field games. IEEE Transactions on Automatic Control, vol. 62, no. 3, pp. 1342-1355, 2017. [2]

4. X. Zhang, R. Kang, M. McCulloch and A. Papachristodoulou, Real-time active and reactive power regulation in power systems with tap-changing transformers and controllable loads. Sustainable Energy, Grids and Networks, vol. 5, pp. 27–38, 2016. [3]

5. X. Zhang, A. Papachristodoulou and N. Li, Distributed optimal steady-state control using reverse- and forward-engineering. In Proceedings of 54th IEEE Conference on Decision and Control, pp. 5257-5264, 2015. [4]

6. X. Zhang, N. Li and A. Papachristodoulou, Achieving real-time economic dispatch in power networks via a saddle point design approach. In Proceedings of 2015 IEEE Power and Energy Society General Meeting, pp. 1-5, 2015. [5] [Supplementary note]

7. X. Zhang and A. Papachristodoulou, A real-time control framework for smart power networks: Design methodology and stability. Automatica, vol. 58, pp. 43–50, 2015. [6]

8. X. Zhang and A. Papachristodoulou, Improving the performance of network congestion control algorithms. IEEE Transactions on Automatic Control, vol. 60, no. 2, pp. 522–527, 2015. [7]

9. X. Zhang and A. Papachristodoulou, Redesigning generation control in power systems: Methodology, stability and delay robustness. In Proceedings of 53rd IEEE Conference on Decision and Control, pp. 953-958, 2014. [8]

10. D. Bauso, X. Zhang and A. Papachristodoulou, Density flow over networks: A mean-field game theoretic approach. In Proceedings of 53rd IEEE Conference on Decision and Control, pp. 3469-3474, 2014. [9]

11. D. Bauso, X. Zhang and A. Papachristodoulou, Density flow over networks: A mean-field game theoretic approach. Extended abstract, in Proceedings of 21st International Symposium on Mathematical Theory of Networks and Systems (MTNS), pp. 479, 2014. [10]

12. X. Zhang and A. Papachristodoulou, A distributed PID controller for network congestion control problems. In Proceedings of 2014 American Control Conference, pp. 5453-5458 , 2014. [11]

13. X. Zhang and A. Papachristodoulou, Distributed dynamic feedback control for smart power networks with tree topology. In Proceedings of 2014 American Control Conference, pp. 1156-1161 , 2014. [12]

14. X. Zhang and A. Papachristodoulou, A real-time control framework for smart power networks with star topology. In Proceedings of 2013 American Control Conference, pp. 5062–5067, 2013. [13]

Theses

1. X. Zhang, Scalable (Re)design Frameworks for Optimal, Distributed Control in Power Networks. D.Phil. thesis, University of Oxford, UK, September 2015. [14]

2. X. Zhang, Hover and Flip Control for Quadrotor Helicopters. Bachelor thesis, Tsinghua University, China, June 2011. [15]

Miscellaneous

1. X. Zhang and A. Papachristodoulou, A Real-time Control Framework for the Future Power Gird. Contributed poster in 32nd CNLS Annual Conference, Optimization and Control for Smart Grids, Santa Fe, NM, May 2012.

2. X. Zhang, Y. Wang, H. Duan, Z. Li and Y. Zhang, Self-adaptive Control of Urban Traffic Signals Based on Reinforcement Learning. Technical report, Tsinghua University, China, May 2010.

Teaching Experience

• 2013-2014: Demonstrator, 2nd Year Helicopter Control Lab, University of Oxford

• 2012-2013: Demonstrator, 2nd Year Helicopter Control Lab, University of Oxford

• 2011-2012: Demonstrator, 2nd Year Helicopter Control Lab, University of Oxford

Contact Information

• Email: xuan point zhang at eng point ox point ac point uk

• Department Address: Department of Engineering Science, University of Oxford, Parks Road, Oxford, OX1 3PJ, United Kingdom