Professor Kefei Zhang

Professor Kefei Zhang is the founder and director of the Satellite Positioning for Atmosphere, Climate and Environment (SPACE) Research Centre and the Satellite Positioning and Navigation (SPAN) Laboratory at RMIT University. Professor Zhang has over 25-year research experience in satellite positioning, geodesy and geospatial sciences. His current research interest is primarily involved in algorithm development and innovative applications of GNSS/GPS technologies for high-accuracy positioning, atmospheric studies (e.g. radio occultation, space weather, climate change, weather and environment), space situational awareness (e.g. space debris tracking, surveillance and collision warning and orbit determination) and people mobility and object tracking. He is a co-inventor of eight patents and has authored over 250 peer-reviewed publications in these fields and has attracted in excess of 20 million dollars in funding from the Australian Research Council, government, research organisations and industry sectors since 1990.

Over the past 10 years SPACE and the Australian Bureau of Meteorology (BoM) have worked together to investigate and incorporate cutting-edge technologies to improve the accuracy of weather forecasts by up to 10 hours in the Australian region. As a result of this important research, GPS RO data was successfully integrated into the Australian weather forecasting system in 2012 and it is now considered one of the top 5 of the 30+ data sources used in reducing forecast error. Our research was ranked as “outstanding“ in the Excellence in Innovation for Australia (EIA) trial (PDF) 2012 and was featured in the ATN of Universities “50 solutions that count (PDF)“. Professor Zhang’s research was also presented in the showcase of the “Partners for a Better Future –Australia and China: Science and Technology Week“ at the Shanghai World Expo 2010. SPACE was also selected as a finalist in “The Australian Innovation Challenge Award“ 2014.

In 2010 Professor Zhang led an international research consortium and won a prestigious, multi-million-dollar Australia Space Research Program project (ASRP-2) in satellite positioning, space tracking and atmospheric studies for climate and space weather. Professor Zhang is currently the PR2 Program Leader of the newly established Australian Cooperative Research Centre (CRC) for Space Environment Management.

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Areas of expertise

GPS, Global Navigation Satellite Systems, Space Science, Geodesy, Surveying and Geomatics

Responsibilities

• Director, Satellite Positioning for Atmosphere, Climate and Environment (SPACE) Research Centre
• Professor for Satellite Positioning, Geodesy and Surveying
• International Student Coordinator

Teaching activities

Undergraduate

• GEOM2093 - Surveying 4
• GEOM2119 – Geodesy
• GEOM2117 - Map Projections
• GEOM2114 - Geospatial Major Project A
• GEOM2115 - Geospatial Major Project B

Postgraduate

• GEOM2071 Research Methods
• GEOM2066 - Satellite Positioning

• Bachelor of Engineering, Wuhan Technical University of Surveying and Mapping, China
• Masters of Engineering, Wuhan Technical University of Surveying and Mapping, China
• Doctor of Philosophy, Curtin University of Technology

Adjunct appointment

• Guest Professor, Chinese Academy of Sciences
• Guest Professor, China University of Mining and Technology, China
• Guest Professor, Wuhan University, China
• Guest Professor, Jiangsu University of Science and Technology
• Guest Professor, Hubei University of Technology, China
• Guest Professor, China University of Geosciences

Recent awards, prizes and recognition

• The RMIT University Award for Research Excellence - Innovation Excellence Award 2014
• The Australian Innovation Challenge Award 2014 “Australian weather prediction and climate monitoring using GPS“ (a finalist in the category of ICT)
• Citation by Australian Technology Network of Universities “50 Solutions that Count (PDF)“ (p9) (Improving Weather Forecasting and Climate Modelling for the Australian Region Using GPS Radio Occultation)
• RMIT University Research Excellence Award 2013
• RMIT “2012 Research Income Performance Award“, RMIT Platform Technology Research Institute.
• Ranked “Outstanding“ in the Excellence in Innovation for Australia (EIA) trial (PDF) (pp63-64) for “Improving weather forecasting and climate modelling for the Australian region using GPS radio occultation).

Memberships

• Member, Institute of Navigation (ION)
• Member, International Association of Geodesy (IAG)
• President, International Association of Chinese Professionals in GPS
• Member, Spatial Science Institute.
• Life time member, International Association of Chinese Professionals in GIS
• Member, IEEE
• Member, Australian Space Science Society