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Dr Zhi (Eric) Hu

Dr Zhi (Eric) Hu

  • Position: KTP Research Associate
  • Areas of expertise: sprayed concrete; alkali-activated cement and concrete; durability of concrete; recycled aggregate concrete; low-carbon cementitious materails.
  • Email: Z.Hu1@leeds.ac.uk
  • Website: LinkedIn | Researchgate

Profile

Zhi (Eric) is currently serving as a research associate for the Knowledge Transfer Partnership (KTP) project on "Low-Carbon Cement Technologies" between Sika Ltd and the University of Leeds, working under the guidance of Prof. Susan A Bernal and Prof. Leon Black. Zhi received his PhD degree (2019-2023) from Loughborough University, with his doctoral thesis titled "Effect of High-Volume GGBS on Accelerated Cementitious Materials: Fresh and Hardened Properties," aimed at developing low-carbon sprayed concrete with high volumes of GGBS (up to 80%) and various innovative setting admixtures. Alongside his doctoral studies, Zhi gained valuable research experience working as a research assistant (2021-2022) on a low-carbon sprayed concrete project funded by HS2 (High Speed Two) and in collaboration with several industry partners.

Zhi obtained his Master's degree (2016-2019) from Shanghai Jiao Tong University in China, where he conducted research on numerical modelling of chloride penetration in recycled aggregate concrete, as well as other critical aspects of concrete durability, such as alkali silica reaction, carbonation, and sulphate resistance. Earlier, he received his Bachelor's degree (2012-2016) from Kunming University of Science and Technology in China, where his research interests included alkali-activated slag concrete with recycled aggregates, self-compacting concrete, and burnished concrete.

Research interests

My research interests are primarily focused on the following areas:

  • Chemical admixtures in cementitious materials
  • Low-carbon sprayed concrete
  • Alkali-activated materials
  • Recycled aggregates concrete
  • Durability of structural concrete
<h4>Research projects</h4> <p>Some research projects I'm currently working on, or have worked on, will be listed below. Our list of all <a href="https://eps.leeds.ac.uk/dir/research-projects">research projects</a> allows you to view and search the full list of projects in the faculty.</p>

Qualifications

  • PhD (Civil Engineering)
  • Master (Architectural and Civil Engineering)
  • Bachelor (Civil Engineering)

Professional memberships

  • RILEM
  • Institute of Materials, Minerals and Mining (IOM3)
  • Institution of Structural Engineers (IStructE)
  • American Concrete Institute (ACI)

Research groups and institutes

  • Materials and Structures