Assoc. Prof. Ketao Zhang, Queen Mary University of London, UK

Biography: Ketao Zhang is currently a Senior Lecturer in Robotics and Director of the Robotic Systems Research Group. He is also the Industry Engagement Lead at the Centre for Intelligent Transport, School of Engineering and Materials Science (SEMS), Queen Mary University of London (QMUL). He has expertise and a strong track record in the areas of aerial robotics, bio-inspired robotics and robot kinematics and dynamics. He is the author of over 100 articles that have been published in prestigious journals and conferences, including Nature, IEEE and ASME Transactions. He is the lead author of groundbreaking work on an additive manufacturing approach using autonomous aerial robots, which offers future possibilities for building and repairing structures in unbounded, high, and hard-to-access locations. This work was featured on the front cover of Nature in September 2022. Dr Zhang is recognised as a leading researcher in his field, as evidenced by a host of national/international guest speaker invitations, as well as by the formal honours he has received. In 2021, he received the Howard Medal presented by the Institution of Civil Engineers (ICE) for his exceptional work on the three-dimensional printing of polymer structures using drones. He is currently an Associate Editor of IEEE Robotics and Automation Letters, Mechanism and Machine Theory and ASME Journal of Mechanical Design.