Aixi Zhou, Ph.D., P.E.
Professor/ Vice Provost for Research & Innovation
Office: MCAR, Suite 602C
Office Phone: (757) 278-4112
FAX: (757) 823-2698
Email: azhou@nsu.edu
Brief Biography
Dr. Aixi Zhou serves as the Vice Provost for Research and Innovation and is a Professor of Engineering at Norfolk State University. Prior to that appointment, he was the department chairperson in the Department of Applied Engineering Technology at North Carolina A&T State University (N.C. A&T) from 2018 to 2024, and a professor in fire protection at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte from 2007 to 2018. He also held positions at Virginia Tech (2006-2007), the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Lausanne (2003-2006), and the University of California San Diego (2002-2003). His primary expertise areas are fire engineering, engineering materials and structures, manufacturing, and engineering education.
Dr. Zhou has served as the lead PI or co-PI on more than 25 funded research projects with a total funding of about $9M. He served as the Founding Director for the DoD-sponsored America’ Cutting Edge (ACE) regional machine tools workforce development hub and research center at N.C. A&T. He is the author or co-author of three books, four book chapters, two data archives, and more than 100 technical publications. Dr. Zhou is a licensed Professional Engineer with a specialization in fire protection. He was elected a Fellow of the Society of Fire Protection Engineers (SFPE) in 2020, is a lifetime member of the International Association for Fire Safety Science, a member on the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) Structural Engineering Institute Fire Protection Committee (since 2011), the ASCE Structural Design for Fire Conditions Committee (since 2008), the SFPE Standing Committee on Research, Tools, and Methods (since 2016), and a Commissioner in the Engineering Accreditation Commission at ABET (since 2021). He currently serves as a member of the National Academies committee on potential environmental effects of nuclear war. He received a Ph.D. degree in engineering mechanics from Virginia Tech.
Research Interests
- Fire engineering
- Engineering materials and structures
- Manufacturing
- Engineering education
Recent Publications
Books
- Zhou A (2023) Applied Engineering Experiments, 2nd Edition. Kendall Hunt Publishing Company, Dubuque, Iowa. ISBN 9798765777954, URL: https://he.kendallhunt.com/product/applied-engineering-experiments. (First Edition in 2021, ISBN 987-1-7924-6638-0).
- Zhou A and Watson GJ (2022) Applied Engineering Design, Kendall Hunt Publishing Company, Dubuque, Iowa. ISBN: 978-1-7924-9912-8, URL: https://he.kendallhunt.com/product/applied-engineering-design.
- Zhou A (2022) Advanced Engineering Experiments. Kendall Hunt Publishing Company, Dubuque, Iowa. ISBN 978-1-7924-8293-9, URL: https://he.kendallhunt.com/product/advanced-engineering-experiments.
Articles
- Kadel J, Hedayati F, Quarles SL, Zhou A (2021) Effect of environmental conditions on the dehydration and performance of fire-protective gels. Fire Technology, 57: 1241-1257. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10694-020-01045-2
- Hedayati F, Bahrani B, Zhou A, Quarles SL, Gorham D (2019) A framework to facilitate firebrand characterization, Frontiers in Mechanical Engineering - Thermal and Mass Transport, Vol. 5, Article 43, https://doi.org/10.3389/fmech.2019.00043.
- Hedayati F, Yang W, Zhou A (2018) Effects of moisture content and heating condition on pyrolysis and combustion properties of structural fuels, Fire and Materials, 42:741–749.
- Bahrani B, Hemmati V, Zhou A, Quarles S (2018) Effects of natural weathering on the fire properties of intumescent fire retardant coatings, Fire and Materials, 42 (4), 413-423.