Ziqiang Zhu

Zhu Ziqiang is one of the world's leading experts in electric motor engineering who left the University of Sheffield after 38 years to take up a chair professorship at Hong Kong Polytechnic University (PolyU) in 2026, continuing his globally renowned research on high-efficiency permanent magnet motors. At Sheffield, he established what was regarded as the world's largest research team in permanent magnet motor systems, comprising multiple professors and more than 100 doctoral students.

Zhu's research on permanent magnet motors — which use built-in magnets to generate motion — has been fundamental to the development of electric cars, high-speed trains, wind turbines, and robotic systems. His work has been widely adopted by major international companies including Siemens, Toyota, Rolls-Royce, and Midea.

Although China dominates the global supply of rare earth metals used in permanent-magnet motors, Zhu noted that Chinese electric vehicle makers were lagging in core motor innovation — a gap he aims to help close through his research and teaching at PolyU.