BIOGRAPHY
Lijun Zhang is a Professor jointly appointed in the Department of Electrical and Electronic
Engineering and the Department of Mechanical and Mechatronic Engineering at Stellenbosch
University, South Africa. He received his PhD in 2016 from the University of Pretoria,
and his MEng and BEng degrees in 2012 and 2010, respectively, from Wuhan University.
Before joining Stellenbosch University, he held academic positions at the University of Pretoria and Huazhong University of Science and Technology. He has also worked closely with industry, serving as the Energy Efficiency Chair supported by Exxaro Resources Ltd, a major coal mining company, and as the Quality Manager at Onga Energy Efficiency and Management (Pty) Ltd, South Africa. Professor Zhang has extensive experience in enhancing the energy efficiency and cost-effectiveness of industrial processes and systems through optimization, control system design, and the application of artificial intelligence techniques. He has developed several real-world solutions for sectors including mining, wastewater treatment, and electric transportation. His current research focuses on the development of digital twins for operational decision support and knowledge management in complex process systems. He is a technical signatory accredited by the South African National Accreditation System (SANAS) for the measurement and verification of energy savings, and a registered Professional Electrical Engineer with the Engineering Council of South Africa (ECSA). He previously served as an Associate Editor for Protection and Control of Modern Power Systems and as a Specialist Editor for the SAIEE Africa Research Journal.
