IISE is the premier professional organization for industrial and systems engineers, and the Fellow Award recognizes outstanding leaders of the profession who have made significant, nationally recognized contributions to industrial engineering. Becoming a fellow is the highest classification of IISE membership.

Zhang said, “I consider the elevation to IISE Fellow, the highest classification of IISE membership, to be an honor and an acknowledgement of the accomplishments in my career.”

As a researcher at GTMI, Zhang has helped to lead and collaborated on numerous major initiatives, including the Consortium for Accelerated Innovation and Insertion of Advanced Composites (CAIIAC). As a professor in ISyE, Zhang's current research interests include additive manufacturing (including 3D printing and printed electronics), cyber-physical systems, scalable nanomanufacturing, and multifunctional composites/nanocomposites. His research projects have been sponsored by numerous federal agencies including the Air Force Office of Scientific Research, Army Research Laboratory, Department of Veterans Affairs, National Institute of Standards and Technology, National Science Foundation, and Office of Naval Research, as well as industrial companies such as ATK Launch Systems, Cummins, Delta Air Lines, General Dynamics, Lockheed Martin, and Siemens Power Generation. Zhang has published over 170 refereed journal articles and 200 conference papers. He also holds 23 U.S. patents.

Zhang received his Ph.D. degree in industrial engineering from the University of Iowa, an M.S. degree in industrial engineering from the State University of New York at Buffalo, and B.S. and M.S. degrees in mechanical engineering from Nanjing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics in China. Prior to joining ISyE, Zhang served as a professor and chairman of the Department of Industrial and Manufacturing Engineering at the Florida A&M University - Florida State University College of Engineering.