CSEE welcomes new PhD student into transportation engineering
Published October 6, 2025
PhD student, Yiming Zhang, joined the Department of Civil, Structural, and Environmental Engineering in Fall 2023 with a research focus on sustainability, economic benefits and resilience of electrified transportation systems.
Yiming Zhang, PhD student
Zhang’s earlier projects explored how distributed photovoltaics and vehicle-to-grid (V2G) technologies can enhance the cost-effectiveness of electric bus operations while reducing carbon emissions. By developing optimization models that account for charging schedules, energy pricing and renewable energy availability, he provides insights into how transit agencies can deploy electric buses more efficiently and sustainably.
A major focus of his work is the resilience of battery electric bus (BEB) systems. He investigates how disruptions such as power outages, charger failures or extreme weather events impact the reliability of BEB operations. Through optimization frameworks and resilience metrics, he develops strategies to strengthen robustness, adaptability and recoverability, ensuring that electric bus networks can maintain service under uncertain conditions.
“Yiming’s research bridges transportation systems and power-systems modeling with real operational needs. His integrated PV–V2G–managed charging work advances cost-effective deployment of BEBs, and his resilience metrics translate into actionable guidance for maintaining BEB service during outages and equipment failures,” says Dr. Ziqi Song, advisor and associate professor in the Department of Civil, Structural and Environmental Engineering.
Beyond his doctoral research, Zhang completed a research internship at Argonne National Laboratory, where he contributed to equity-focused studies on electric vehicle network planning. This experience deepened his understanding of how EV infrastructure can be designed to promote equitable access, ensuring that the benefits of electrified transportation reach diverse communities. It also allowed him to strengthen his collaboration skills by working with interdisciplinary teams to address the multifaceted challenges of electrified transportation.
Looking ahead, Zhang plans to pursue a career in academia and applied research, advancing the development of smarter, cleaner, and more resilient transportation systems.
“I believe electrified transportation is not just about providing mobility services, it’s about shaping the future of transportation by building sustainable and reliable systems that can adapt to disruptions while offering people equitable and affordable ways to travel,” Zhang says.
