Part of IDEAS — doctoral supervision team.
👤 Dr Chao Zhou
Associate Professor, Doctoral Supervisor, Building Energy Efficiency & Renewable Energy Specialist – Part of IDEAS
🧭 Broad Area of Supervision
Building Energy Efficiency, Renewable Energy Applications & Sustainable Built Environment — within Civil Engineering, with sub-areas in low-carbon environmental control technologies.
🔎 Specialist sub-areas:
- Solar PVT heat pump systems for combined cooling, heating and power generation
- Low-carbon, high-efficiency environmental control for agricultural greenhouses
- Building-integrated photovoltaics
- Indoor air quality and climate.
Associate Professor Dr Chao Zhou is Deputy Dean of the School of Civil Engineering at Weifang University of Science and Technology, China. His research focuses on building energy efficiency and renewable energy applications, particularly solar PVT heat pump systems for combined cooling, heating, and power generation, and low-carbon environmental control technologies for agricultural greenhouses. He has authored 27 papers in leading energy and building engineering journals and holds one international patent alongside eight Chinese patents.
📄 Full Profile
Associate Professor Dr Chao Zhou is Deputy Dean of the School of Civil Engineering at Weifang University of Science and Technology, China. His research centres on building energy efficiency and renewable energy applications, with particular interests in solar PVT heat pump systems for combined cooling, heating, and power generation, as well as low-carbon, high-efficiency environmental control technologies for agricultural greenhouses.
He has authored 27 papers in leading journals in the fields of energy and building engineering, including *Energy Conversion and Management*, *Applied Thermal Engineering*, *Renewable Energy*, and *Energy and Buildings*. His inventive output includes one international patent, two Chinese invention patents, and six utility model patents.
Dr Zhou has led several funded research projects, including grants from the Shandong Provincial Natural Science Foundation, the Youth Innovation and Technology Support Program of Shandong Provincial Higher Education Institutions, and the Weifang Science and Technology Development Plan. His work has been recognised with multiple awards, including the First Prize for Science and Technology Innovation in the Service Industry from the China General Chamber of Commerce, the First Prize of the Tianqi Cup for Innovation in Construction Engineering Technology in Shandong Province, and the Outstanding Presentation Award at the Third International Conference on Renewable Energy Heating Technologies.
He serves on the Professional Committee of Building Integrated Photovoltaics and Building Energy Systems under the China Association of Building Energy Efficiency, and holds membership of several academic societies, including the China Renewable Energy Society, the Solar Building Professional Committee of the China Renewable Energy Society, the Chinese Society for Agricultural Machinery, and the International Society of Indoor Air Quality and Climate (ISIAQ). He is a recognised expert reviewer in the Shandong Provincial Science and Technology Expert Database, the Weifang Science and Technology Expert Database, and the Weifang Engineer Association, and is a member of the Shouguang Municipal People’s Congress Expert Think Tank. He also serves as a peer reviewer for international journals including *Energy Conversion and Management* and *Energy and Buildings*.
🔬 Areas of Research Interest
Building Energy Efficiency Low-carbon, high-efficiency environmental control technologies · building-integrated photovoltaics · energy performance of buildings
Renewable Energy Systems Solar PVT heat pump systems for combined cooling, heating and power generation · solar building technologies · renewable energy heating applications
Agricultural & Environmental Engineering Environmental control technologies for agricultural greenhouses · sustainable systems for controlled-environment agriculture
Indoor Environment & Air Quality Indoor air quality and climate control · building systems affecting occupant health and comfort
🎯 Ideal Candidate Fit
| If your research is about… | Dr Zhou is a strong match because… |
| Solar PVT or heat pump systems | Core research specialism, with multiple related publications and patents |
| Low-carbon greenhouse or agricultural environmental control | Direct research focus and funded project experience in this area |
| Building-integrated photovoltaics or building energy systems | Serving committee member for this exact professional area in China |
| Patent-oriented or applied engineering doctoral work | Holds 9 patents (1 international, 2 invention, 6 utility model) alongside academic publication |
| Indoor air quality or building climate systems | Membership of ISIAQ and related professional societies |
📬 Contact / Enquire
Ready to talk about doctoral admissions, supervision, or researcher development? Contact the Knowledge Edge team.