Weijian Zhang (张伟健)

I am currently a Ph.D. candidate in the Hybrid Planning for AI and Robotics (HyPAIR) group, with the Intelligent Robotics Lab at the University of Birmingham, supervised by Dr. Masoumeh Mansouri.

Prior to this, I obtained my B.Eng. degree in Automation from Southwest Jiaotong University and M.Sc. degree in Robotics from the University of Birmingham.

My research interests focus on Multi-Robot Systems (MRS), Multi-Robot Motion Planning, Formation Control, and Multi-Robot Coordination. My current research is integrating AI techniques with optimal control to address a variety of multi-robot coordination problems, which commonly arise in domains such as warehouse logistics, manufacturing, and exploration.

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Pinned

🎓 I am expected to graduate in 2026 and am actively seeking a full-time position or internship starting opportunities. If you are interested in collaboration, please feel free to contact me.
Updates

[01/2026] One paper is accepted by ICRA 2026.

[12/2025] I have been shortlisted for the  Exceptional Contribution from a Doctoral Researcher category in the University’s 2026 Research and Impact Awards.

[06/2025] One paper is accepted by IROS 2025.

[05/2025] One paper is selected as the Best Conference Paper Award Finalist & Best Paper Award Finalist on Multi-Robot Systems at ICRA 2025.

[01/2025] One paper is accepted by ICRA 2025.

[07/2024] One paper is accepted by RAS 2024.

[05/2024] I have passed Ph.D. Qualifying Examination to become a Ph.D. candidate.

[02/2024] Best Poster Award at the 7th IEEE UK & Ireland RAS Conference.

[06/2023] One paper is accepted by ECMR 2023.
Research
Collaborative Human-Robot Object Transportation Using a Deformable Sheet
2026 IEEE International Conference on Robotics and Automation (ICRA)

We tackle real-time formation trajectory planning for collaborative object transportation in complex environments using a team of nonholonomic robots and a human.

Robots Calling the Shots: Using Multiple Ground Robots for Autonomous Tracking in Cluttered Environments
2025 IEEE/RSJ International Conference on Intelligent Robots and Systems (IROS)

We present a novel planning framework for differential-drive robots equipped with movable cameras.

Multi-Nonholonomic Robot Object Transportation with Obstacle Crossing Using a Deformable Sheet
2025 IEEE International Conference on Robotics and Automation (ICRA)
Best Conference Paper Award Finalist & Best Paper Award Finalist on Multi-Robot Systems

We proposed a motion planning framework for collaborative object transportation using a team of nonholonomic robots and a deformable sheet.

A Decoupled Solution to Heterogeneous Multi-Formation Planning and Coordination for Object Transportation
Robotics and Autonomous Systems (RAS), 2024
Best Poster award at The 7th IEEE UK & Ireland RAS Conference

We present a cooperative formation object transportation system for heterogeneous multi-robot systems, which captures robot dynamics and avoids inter-formation collisions.

Multi-Formation Planning and Coordination for Object Transportation
2023 European Conference on Mobile Robots (ECMR)

We propose a cooperative multi-formation object transportation system which explicitly handles inter-formation collisions.



Education
University of Birmingham, Edgbaston, Birmingham, UK
Department of Computer Science
Ph.D. Student
Expected 2026
University of Birmingham, Edgbaston, Birmingham, UK
Department of Computer Science
Master of Science in Robotics
Degree awarded in Dec. 2022
Southwest Jiaotong University, Chengdu, China
School of Information Science and Technology
Bachelor of Engineering in Automation
Degree awarded in Jun. 2021
Honors & Awards

2025.12, Exceptional Contribution from a Doctoral Researcher (Shortlisted for 2026) - UoB.

2025.05, ICRA 2025 Best Conference Paper Award Finalist & Best Paper Award Finalist on Multi-Robot Systems - IEEE.

2024.07, RAS 2024 Best Poster award - IEEE.

2022.12, Computer Science School Prize - UoB.

2020.12, Comprehensive Scholarship - SWJTU.

2019.12, Comprehensive Scholarship - SWJTU.

Reviewer Service

2025 13th International Conference on Robot Intelligence Technology and Applications (RITA)

2025 IEEE International Symposium on Multi-Robot & Multi-Agent Systems (MRS)

2025 ACM International Conference on Autonomous Agents and Multiagent Systems (AAMAS)

2024, 2025 IEEE/RSJ International Conference on Intelligent Robots and Systems (IROS)

2024, 2025, 2026 IEEE International Conference on Robotics and Automation (ICRA)

Teaching
LM Robot Motion Planning and Control
University of Birmingham
Graduate Teaching Assistant
Spring 2025, Spring 2026
LH/LM Intelligent Robotics
University of Birmingham
Graduate Teaching Assistant
Autumn 2024
LM Advanced Robotics
University of Birmingham
Graduate Teaching Assistant
Autumn 2024
LC Artificial Intelligence 1
University of Birmingham
Graduate Teaching Assistant
Spring 2024, Spring 2025, Spring 2026
LH Computer Vision and Imaging
University of Birmingham
Graduate Teaching Assistant
Autumn 2023
LM Robot Vision
University of Birmingham
Graduate Teaching Assistant
Autumn 2023
About Me

Skills: C++ / Python / Matlab, Linux, ROS



Last update: 2025.12.14.
Design and source code from Jon Barron's website.