Teaching Assistant Professor - Fundamentals of Engineering Program
Xinyu Zhang graduated Summa cum Laude with a BS Environmental Engineering in 2005 from Dalian University of Technology, awarded a MS Environmental Science and Engineering in 2007 from Tsinghua University and completed her doctorate in Environmental Engineering in 2012 from University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Zhang returned to academia after spending several years in engineering consulting and engineering entrepreneurship. Before joining West Virginia University, she has taught courses to undergraduates, graduates and industrial professionals in the disciplines of civil, environmental and chemical engineering. She is also a licensed Professional Engineer in North Carolina.
Zhang has a strong teaching style in active learning, experiential learning and advanced technologies for STEM education. She has been the principal investigator for several engineering education projects including creating virtual reality (VR) for biomanufacturing education. Her research interests include engineering education, engineering entrepreneurship, environmental engineering and sustainable biomanufacturing. She is passionate about global cross-disciplinary collaborations. Her professional and academic projects have been in collaboration with professionals from the fields of engineering, science, arts, statistics and business from different countries.
Zhang is an avid traveler, strong proponent of women in engineering and advocate for K-12 STEM education.
Education
Ph.D., Environmental Engineering, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 2012
M.S., Environmental Science and Engineering, Tsinghua University, 2007
B.S., Environmental Engineering, Dalian University of Technology, 2005