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• PhD in Mechanical Engineering, 2020
• BEng in Automotive Engineering, 2015

Ji Li was awarded a PhD in Mechanical Engineering in 2020 from University Â鶹¾«Ñ¡, United Kingdom. Prior to being appointed to this position, he spent two years as a Postdoctoral Research Fellow and one year as a Postdoctoral Teaching Fellow at the University Â鶹¾«Ñ¡.

He has been instrumental in the successful delivery of several government and industry research projects (e.g.,Ìý,Ìý,Ìý) and established expertise in dedicated AI systems for automotive engineering. He has received major grants from the government, OEMs, and research institutes e.g., Royal Society, BYD Auto Ltd, Jiangsu Industry Technology Research Institute.

He has authored over 60 peer-reviewed international publications and two book chapters in the field of Connected and Autonomous Vehicles with aspects of multi-objective control, human-machine interaction, and cyber-physical systems. He received four Best Paper Awards at international conferences, e.g., IEEE and SAE.

Lecture

• LH Powertrain and Vehicle Engineering (Year 3 BEng)
• LM Advanced Vehicle Engineering (Year 4 MEng/MSc) - module lead.

Mentorship

LI Integrated Design Project 2 (Year 2 BEng)

Warmly welcome individuals with a keen interest in multidisciplinary research in the field of Automotive Engineering. My research encompasses a broad range of topics, including but not limited to Vehicle Energy Management, Driver Behaviour Modelling, Data-driven Modelling, Learning Systems, Human-Machine Interaction, Shared Control, Platoon Control, Applied Data Science, Multi-Modal Information Fusion, and Physics-Informed Machine Learning.

For more information about this specific project, please drop me an email: j.li.1@bham.ac.uk or visit the following link: https://www.findaphd.com/phds/project/human-like-shared-and-autonomous-driving-of-future-vehicles/?p157648

His research focus covers three key domains: multi-objective control, human-machine interaction, and cyber-physical systems, all oriented toward achieving net-zero and trustworthy engineering solutions. The overarching goal is to contribute to developing future vehicles that are not only zero-emission but also trustworthy and adeptly leverage digitalisation at various operational levels. The research seeks to address challenges and pave the way for innovative solutions in the dynamic landscape of automotive technology at four observation scales:

Lv.1 Component: engine/battery/fuel cell

• Physics/data-enhanced robust modelling
• Transient calibration and autonomous calibration

Lv.2 Powertrain: series/parallel/power-split hybrid

• Many-objective modular design
• Learning-based energy management

Lv.3 Human-Vehicle: driver/vehicle/interaction

• Driving behaviour classification and recognition
• Human-machine interaction and shared control

Lv.4 Fleet: platoon/road/traffic

• Car-following behaviour characterisation
• Driving scene reconstruction

Current Project:

• Battery-aware Multi-Agent Learning-Based Control Framework for Electric Vehicular Platoon. Royal Society, GBP 11,863. 2025-2027.
• Education Enhancement Funding: Early Career Fund, 2024, University Â鶹¾«Ñ¡, GBP 1,000. 2024-2025.
• Development of Dual-mode Engine AI Emission Prediction and Knock Detection, 2023, BYD Auto Company, GBP 220,000. 2023 – 2025.
• Research on Real-time Optimisation System for Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicle based on Artificial Intelligence Digital Twin Technology, 2022-2024, Jiangsu Industry Technology Research Institute, CNY 4,200,00.
• AI Strategy for Hybrid Engine Development, 2020-2024, BYD Auto Company, GBP 180,000.

Industrial Partnership:

• BYD Auto Company, Mahler, Changan UK, London Electric Vehicle Company, Joint Research Centre, Lotus Cars Limited, IPG Carmaker, AVL Advanced Simulation Technologies, etc.

Academic services in the past three years:

• Board Member of IMechE Automobile Division (2024-)
• Board Member of IEEE VTS Committee on Autonomous Vehicles (2024-)
• Board Member of SAE International Committee (2022-)
• Board Member of UK-China Society of Automotive Engineers (UKCSAE) (2023-)
• Oversea Expert Fellowship, Chongqing University of Technology (2022-)
• Editor assistant for Applied Energy (2020-)
• Editor assistant for International Journal of Powertrains (2023-)
• Guest Editor for ‘Vehicle Emissions.’ Chemosphere (2022)
• Guest Editor for ‘Enabling Technologies for Zero-Emission Road Vehicles.’ International Journal of Powertrains (2022)
• Guest Editor for ‘Sensing, Optimization, and Navigation on Vehicle Control’. Sensors (2022)
• Guest Editor for ‘Integrated Control and Sensing Technology for Electric vehicles.’ Sensors (2023)
• Session Chair for the 6th CAA International Conference on Vehicular Control and Intelligence (CVCI2022)
• Associate Editor for the 7th CAA International Conference on Vehicular Control and Intelligence (CVCI2023)
• Technical Track Chair for IEEE Transportation Electrification Conference (ITEC) 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024
• Technical Chair for International Workshop on the Bees Algorithm and Its Applications 2022, 2023, 2024, 2025
• Session Chair of ‘Collaborative Control and Management of EV Powertrains based on Intelligent Transport Systems’. The 25th IEEE International Conference on Intelligent Transportation Systems.
• Session Chair of ‘Smart&Sustainable Enabling Technologies for eMoblity’, The 7th CAA International Conference on Vehicular Control and Intelligence (CVCI2023), 2023
• Session Chair of ‘2024 Association of British Chinese Professors (ABCP) Annual Conference – Climate Change, Energy and Sustainability forum’. Birmingham, UK. 2024.
• Session Chair of ‘18th UK Heat Transfer Conference,’ Birmingham, UK. 2024
• Vice Chair of 2024 Birmingham International Scholars Forum. Birmingham, UK. 2024