Hi, I am Haochen Zhang, a Master’s candidate in Infrastructure Asset Management at The University of Auckland. I hold a B.Eng. in Engineering Management from Changsha University of Science and Technology. My academic focus lies in applying modern technologies—such as optimisation algorithms and blockchain—to solve practical challenges in infrastructure management and sustainability.
Currently, under the supervision of Dr. Hongyu Jin, my master’s research focuses on developing a whole life carbon assetisation framework for EV charging infrastructure using blockchain technology and smart contracts. The goal of my work is to address the limitations of existing carbon crediting methodologies by ensuring transparent carbon tracking, trusted data management, and effectively converting carbon reductions into tradable carbon credits.
Prior to this, my undergraduate thesis, advised by Dr. Zhongxiang Chang, explored bi-level optimisation modelling for road maintenance decision-making. I developed a customised hybrid GA–NSGA-II algorithm to optimise maintenance strategies. The abstract of this research was accepted by the 2024 World Transport Convention WTC, where I presented it as a poster. Building upon this foundation, I am now exploring the integration of advanced optimisation algorithms with RL to further enhance computational efficiency and algorithmic generalisation in complex models.
As part of the course ENVENG 752: Sustainability and Life Cycle Assessment, under the supervision of Dr. Febelyn Reguyal, I participated in a collaborative project with Rescued Kitchen, a New Zealand eco-enterprise. We conducted a comprehensive LCA on their upcycled flour product using OpenLCA to provide data-driven insights for their sustainability initiatives. (View Project Result)
In the course ENGGEN 726: Climate Adaptation of Infrastructure, under the advising of Dr. Theuns Henning, I also conducted a climate adaptation study for the Mission Bay shoreline in Auckland. I assessed coastal inundation and erosion risks under sea-level rise scenarios of up to approximately 2.0 m, across key assets including Tamaki Drive, residential blocks and public reserves, and proposed a staged adaptation pathway covering incremental defence, lifeline protection, accommodation and managed retreat. I hope to further explore how such adaptation strategies can be informed by data-driven modelling. (View Project Result)
Outside of my studies, I maintain an active lifestyle. I am an avid basketball player and officiate as a certified Level-2 basketball referee.
🎯 Research Interests
- Blockchain & Smart Contracts in Infrastructure
- Life Cycle Assessment (LCA)
- Multi-Objective Optimisation Algorithms
- Infrastructure Asset Management
- Construction Management
💻 Skills
- Programming & Data: Python, Solidity, XML, XPath, XQuery, Knowledge Graphs, LaTeX.
- Engineering & Design: Revit, AutoCAD.
- Life Cycle Assessment: LCA workflows, OpenLCA.
📖 Educations
-
The University of Auckland | Auckland, New Zealand
Master Student, Faculty of Engineering and Design
Apr 2025 – Mar 2027 (Expected) -
Changsha University of Science and Technology | Changsha, Hunan, China
Bachelor Student, School of Traffic and Transportation Engineering
Sep 2020 – Jul 2024
