Dr Yu Zhang

Yu Zhang’s research interest lies in exploring sustainable (re)generative structures in the Architecture, Engineering, and Construction (AEC) industry through digital technologies and sustainable processes. Her research endeavors to meticulously assess the ecological, economic, and social sustainability aspects throughout the life cycle of structures. The research objective is to establish a comprehensive and interactive design framework that fosters the creation of innovative, green, and high-performance structures, addressing the specific needs of target users and ensuring a thoughtful and impactful integration of technology in the pursuit of sustainable structures.

Yu has a multidisciplinary research background across structural engineering, architecture, mechanical engineering, and computer science. Before joining Cambridge, she was a postdoctoral researcher at ETH Zurich, where her research focus was fabrication-aware design and optimization for discrete architectural assemblies. She also worked on an industrial project to build low-cost, sustainable compressed earth block (CEB) dwellings for refugee camps in Africa. She received her master's degree in Civil and Environmental Engineering from Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), specializing in structural optimization. In 2017, she worked in the Multidisciplinary Design Optimization (MDO) team at Disney Research. Then, partially funded by NCCR DFAB, she obtained her doctoral degree in 2023 from the Department of Mechanical and Process Engineering at ETH Zurich, with a thesis employing high-tech design, optimization, and construction for sustainable discrete structures in low-resource settings. 

Yu aims to leverage innovative and cutting-edge technologies across architecture, civil engineering, mechanical engineering, and computer science to drive the building sector, in the UK and beyond, towards a net-zero future. Her previous collaborative projects, including cross-disciplinary and intersectoral research and community engagement initiatives, highlight her passion and ambition to work alongside distinguished peers and industrial partners on innovative, impact-driven research to address society's largest challenges.