Zhipeng Lü is a Full Professor of Computer Software and Theory at Huazhong University of Science & Technology and the Director of the Institute of Artificial Intelligence and Optimization and the Director of the Laboratory of Intelligent Decision and System Optimization since March 2011. His research focuses on the interface between artificial intelligence, computer science and operations research; computational intelligence, green computing, and the solution of large-scale combinatorial search problems and on the design of effective heuristic and metaheuristic methods for practical applications. Specifically, he studies intelligent algorithms such as Tabu Search, Iterated Local Search, Memetic Algorithm, Hybrid Evolutionary Algorithm, Scatter Search, GRASP, Path-Relinking, Hybrid Exact/Heuristic Methods, etc. He also studies various classical NP-Hard problems, including SAT, CSP, Facility Location, Graph Coloring, Vertex Cover, Multiple Knapsack, TSP, Vehicle Routing, Inventory Routing, Single Machine Scheduling, Job Shop Scheduling, Timetabling, Rostering, Unconstrained Binary Quadratic Programming, etc.

His work has been featured in International Conferences (EvoCOP, MIC, PPSN) and Journals (Annals of Operations Research, Applied Soft Computing, Journal of Scheduling, European Journal of Operational Research, Computers & Operations Research, 4OR, Journal of Combinatorial Optimization, Journal of Heuristics, etc). His work with his co-authors has been recognized by several awards (Bronze Medal at the Nurse Rostering Competition 2010, Silver Medal at the PATAT-WATT 2007 ITC Competition, and 4th place at the 2nd International
Nurse Rostering Competition 2015) and received multiple citations. His work includes more than 40 peer-reviewed publications in international journals, book chapters and conference proceedings in the fields of Metaheuristics, Evolutionary Computation, Combinatorial Optimization, Artificial Intelligence, and Op erations Research. His current H-Index in Google Scholar is 18.

He has been the principle investigator for several real world application projects with various industrial partners, including traffic grooming, routing and wavelength assignment in optical network planning, integrated airport resource scheduling, aircraft landing scheduling, timetabling and rostering for pilot trainings, multimedia delivery scheduling on 4G mobile wireless network, integrated vehicle routing and knapsack problems, inventory routing for air liquid/petroleum distribution, and so on. He has initiated a number of academic R&D projects including two NSFC projects (2012-2014 and 2014-2017), one doctoral foundation of the Ministry of Education and one postdoctoral foundation. He is involved in several international collaboration programs, in particular with France, Canada, UK, Germany and USA.