John Z. Zhai

  • Professor
  • BUILDING SYSTEMS ENGINEERING
Address

Office: ECCE 249

 

Education:

  • Ph.D., Building Technology, MIT, 2003
  • Dr.Eng., Fluid Mechanics, Tsinghua University, 1999
  • M.Sc., Fluid Mechanics, Tsinghua University, 1995
  • B.Sc., Engineering Mechanics, Tsinghua University, 1994

Honors and Distinctions:

  • The "Changjiang Scholar" Professorship Award, the Ministry of Education, China, 2016
  • Distinguished Lecturer by American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE), 2014.
  • Invited Participant for 2010 US Frontiers of Engineering (US FOE) Symposium and Invited Organizer for 2011 US FOE Symposium by National Academy of Engineering of US
  • Research Development Award, Department of Civil, Environmental, and Architectural Engineering, University of Colorado at Boulder, May, 2010
  • Distinguished Service Award (DSA) of American Society of Heating, Refrigerating, and Air Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE), May, 2010
  • William Mong Visiting Research Fellowship in Engineering, The University of Hong Kong, 2009
  • 2008 Best Paper Award, International Journal of Building Simulation, 2009
  • Sustainability Award of Green Faculty, University of Colorado at Boulder, 2008
  • The Charles A. and Anne Morrow Lindbergh Foundation Project Award, 2007
  • Young Researcher Award, Department of Civil, Environmental, and Architectural Engineering, University of Colorado at Boulder, 2007
  • Presidential Fellowship, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 1999–2003
  • Grant-in-Aid Fellowship, American Society of Heating, Refrigerating, and Air Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE), 2001
  • Martin Family Society of Fellows for Sustainability, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 2000

Professional Affiliations:

  • International Society of Indoor Air Quality and Climate (ISIAQ)
  • International Building Performance Simulation Association (IBPSA)
  • American Society of Heating, Refrigerating, and Air Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE)
  • US Green Building Council (USGBC)

Interests:

  • Computational Fluid Dynamics and its Applications in Building and Environment
  • Heat Transfer and Energy Analysis of Building Systems
  • Building Indoor Environment Quality: Thermal Comfort and Indoor Air Quality
  • Heating, Ventilation and Air-Conditioning (HVAC) Systems
  • Building Vulnerability and Safety
  • Renewable Energy and Sustainable Building Design

Latest Publications:

  • Zhai Z and Liu X. 2016. Sensitivity Analysis of the Probability-Based Inverse Modeling Method for Indoor Contaminant Tracking. International Journal of Low-Carbon Technologies, DOI: 10.1093/ijlct/ctw019.
  • Wang H and Zhai Z. 2016. Advances in Building Simulation and Computational Techniques: A Review between 1987 and 2014. Energy and Buildings, 128: 319–335.
  • Zhai Z. 2016. Breathing Wall: Concept and Thermal Performance. Cityscape: A Journal of Policy Development and Research, 18(2): 203-208.
  • Tong Y, Zhai Z, Wang C, Zhou B, Niu X. 2016. Possibility of Using Roof Openings for Natural Ventilation in a Shallow Urban Road Tunnel. Tunnelling and Underground Space Technology, 54: 92-101.
  • Xue Y, Liu W, Zhai Z. 2016. New Semi-Lagrangian-Based PISO Method for Fast and Accurate Indoor Environment Modeling. Building and Environment, 105: 236–244.
  • Chang Y, Zhang Q, Zhai Z. 2016. Numerical Simulation of the Filtration Process in Fibrous Filters Using CFD-DEM Method. Journal of Aerosol Science, 101: 174–187.
  • Youssef AMA, Zhai Z, Reffat RM. 2016. Genetic Algorithm Based Optimization for Photovoltaics Integrated Building Envelope. Energy and Buildings, 127: 627–636.
  • Feng Qi, Zhai Z, Dang G. 2016. Building Height Estimation Using Google Earth. Energy and Buildings, 118: 123–132.
  • Chen X, Zhang Q, Zhai Z. 2016. Energy Saving Potential of a Ventilation System with a Latent Heat Thermal Energy Storage Unit under Different Climatic Conditions. Energy and Buildings, 118: 339–349.
  • Previtali JM and Zhai Z. 2016. A Taxonomy of Vernacular Architecture. Energy and Buildings, 110: 71–78.