Joe Zhu, PhD, a professor in the Robert A. Foisie School of Business at Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI), has been awarded a Chang Jiang Scholar Chair Professorship by the Ministry of Education in China. Zhu, who is being honored for his outstanding achievements in the field of operations management, is the first WPI faculty member to receive the award, considered China's most prestigious scholarly honor.
The Chang Jiang Scholar award recognizes special contributions made by both Chinese and international scholars in various research fields. It is part of a program initiated by the Chinese government in 1998 to foster and improve the quality of research conducted at major research universities in China by collaborating with eminent scientists from around the world. About 50 such professorships are awarded each year, mostly in the areas of science and technology. Only a few recipients have expertise in the social science and management fields.
As a Chang Jiang Scholar, Zhu will travel regularly to China to continue his collaborative research partnerships between WPI and universities in China. As a result, WPI and China will be able to exchange knowledge through research to help advance the operations management field.
Zhu joined the WPI faculty in 1998 and is an internationally recognized expert in methods of performance evaluation and benchmarking. The author of more than 120 journal articles, books, and textbooks, and with more than 9,700 Google Scholar citations, his research interests include operations and business analytics, productivity modeling, and performance evaluation. He received his master’s in systems engineering from Southeast University in China and his PhD in industrial engineering and operations research from the University of Massachusetts Amherst.
About the Robert A. Foisie School of Business
Rooted in WPI's strength in technology, engineering, and science, the Foisie School of Business is known for developing innovative and entrepreneurial leaders for a global technological world. Its rigorous, project-based education is designed to integrate business practice with technological advancement, emphasizing innovation, entrepreneurship, globalization, and leadership. The school offers nine graduate degree programs (including the Innovator’s MBA, five master of science programs, and three PhD concentrations), four undergraduate majors, five minors, and six certificate programs.
