Bohao Zhu is an Assistant Professor at the School of Automation and Intelligent Manufacturing, Southern University of Science and Technology. He received his Bachelor’s degree in Automation from Harbin Institute of Technology in 2015, and completed his PhD under the supervision of Prof. James Lam at the Department of Mechanical Engineering, the University of Hong Kong from 2015 to 2020. During his doctoral studies, he conducted visiting research at Kyoto University and Nara Institute of Science and Technology. Following graduation, he worked as a Postdoctoral Fellow and later a Research Assistant Professor at the University of Hong Kong. His research focuses on advanced control theory, including positive systems, switched systems and multi-agent systems, alongside their practical applications in robotics such as modelling and control of soft robots and MRI-guided medical robotic systems. In recent years, he has published more than 20 peer-reviewed journal papers as the first or corresponding author in top international control journals including IEEE Transactions on Automatic Control and Automatica. He currently serves as a reviewer for Mathematical Reviews of the American Mathematical Society, a member of the Early Career Editorial Board of Franklin Open, and a committee member of the Fully Actuated Control Committee.

Education Background

2015.09 – 2020.03，The University of Hong Kong，Systems and Control，Ph.D.

2011.09 – 2015.07，Harbin Institute of Technology，Automation，B.Eng

Working Experience

2026.05 – Now，Southern University of Science and Technology，School of Automation and Intelligent Manufacturing，Assistant Professor

2023.04 – 2026.04，The University of Hong Kong，Department of Mechanical Engineering，Research Assistant Professor

2022.01 – 2023.03，The University of Hong Kong，Department of Mechanical Engineering，Post-Doctoral Fellow

2020.06 – 2021.12，The Chinese University of Hong Kong，Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery，Research Associate

2020.04 – 2020.05，The University of Hong Kong，Department of Mechanical Engineering，Research Assistant

Research Area

- Control and Optimization of Nonlinear Systems

- Networked Systems and Positive Systems

- Soft Robotics and Surgical Robotics

Publications

[1] Bohao Zhu^, Jing Dai^, James Lam, Hing-Chiu Chang*, Iulian Iordachita, and Ka-Wai Kwok. “Event-triggered closed-loop MPC of positive systems: an enabling technique for robot-assisted MRI-guided focused ultrasound hyperthermia,” IEEE Transactions on Industrial Informatics, 22(5):4318-4328, 2026.

[2] Xiujuan Lu, Bohao Zhu*, James Lam, Han Wu, and Jason J. R. Liu. “Positivity-preserving consensus control of multi-agent systems with input nonlinearities”, IEEE Transactions on Systems, Man and Cybernetics: Systems, 55(10):6621-6627, 2025.

[3] Bohao Zhu, James, Lam*, Jun Shen, Yukang Cui, Xiujuan Lu, and Ka-Wai Kwok. “Input-output gain analysis of linear discrete-time systems with cone invariance,” IEEE Transactions on Automatic Control, 69(12):8751-8757, 2024.

[4] Xiujuan Lu^, Ying Chen^, Bohao Zhu*, Jun Shen, Baozhu Du, Yonghua Chen, and James Lam. “KYP lemma for cone-preserving systems and its applications to controller design,” IEEE Transactions on Automatic Control, 69(12):8812-8819, 2024.

[5] Jing Dai^, Bohao Zhu^, Xiaomei Wang, Zhiyi Jiang, Mengjie Wu, Liyuan Liang, Xiaochen Xie, James Lam, Hing-Chiu Chang, and Ka-Wai Kwok*. “Learning-based efficient phase-amplitude modulation and hybrid control for MRI-guided focused ultrasound treatment,” IEEE Robotics and Automation Letters, 9(2):995-1002, 2023.

[6] Bohao Zhu, James Lam*, Xiujuan Lu, and Ka-Wai Kwok. “Stability analysis of discrete-time cone-preserving systems with time-varying delays,” IEEE Control Systems Letters, 7:3181-3186, 2023.

[7] Bohao Zhu, James Lam*, and Masaki Ogura. “Stability and log-log convexity of an optimal control problem for positive linear systems,” Automatica, 146:110553, 2022.

[8] Bohao Zhu, James Lam, Xiaochen Xie*, Xiaoqi Song, and Ka-Wai Kwok*. “Stability and -gain analysis of periodic piecewise positive systems with constant time delay,” IEEE Transactions on Automatic Control, 67(5):2655-2662, 2021.

[9] Bohao Zhu, James Lam*, and Yoshio Ebihara. “Input-output gain analysis of positive periodic systems,” International Journal of Robust and Nonlinear Control, 31(8):2928-2945, 2021.

[10] Bohao Zhu*, James Lam, and Xiaoqi Song. “Stability and -gain analysis of linear periodic piecewise positive systems,” Automatica, 101:232-240, 2019.

Awards

Top Viewed Article 2025 by IET Control Theory & Applications

Best Poster Award by The International Conference on Robotics and Automation 2023 Workshop

University Postgraduate Fellowship by The University of Hong Kong

Y-S and Christabel Lung Postgraduate Scholarship by The University of Hong Kong