Contact
Faculty of Engineering - Mechanical Engineering Dept
Overview
Area of Study / Keywords
Robotics Control Theory Soft Robotics Continuum Robotics Multi-Robot Systems
About
I am an incoming tenure-track Assistant Professor at the University of Alberta, starting in January 2027.
My research lies at the intersection of robotics, control theory, mechanics, and applied mathematics. I develop principled methods for modeling, control, estimation, and planning of complex robotic systems, with a particular focus on soft and continuum robots, soft robotic swimmers, and robot swarms.
My long-term research goal is to develop theoretically grounded and scalable approaches that enable robots with complex dynamics—from highly deformable individual robots to large-scale robot collectives—to autonomously perceive, interact with, and adapt to their environments.
Research
Research Interests:
Robotics · Control Theory · Soft & Continuum Robotics · Swarm Robotics · Multi-Agent Systems
My research focuses on the modeling, control, estimation, and planning of robotic systems with complex dynamics. Current research directions include:
- Soft and continuum robotics: mechanics-based modeling, nonlinear/PDE-based control, state and force estimation, and planning.
- Soft robotic swimmers: hydrodynamic modeling, sensing and estimation, design, and control of flexible and bio-inspired underwater robots.
- Swarm robotics and multi-agent systems: distributed control, estimation, planning, and coordination of large-scale robot teams.
My research draws on tools from dynamical systems, control theory, continuum mechanics, partial differential equations, optimization, and applied mathematics, connecting rigorous theory with robotic applications.
Announcements
I am recruiting fully funded PhD students starting in summer/fall 2027.
My group works on modelling, estimation, control, and planning of complex robotic systems, with current projects in soft and continuum robotics, soft robotic swimmers, and swarm robotics/multi-agent systems.
I enjoy working closely with students and helping them develop the skills and confidence to become independent researchers. I welcome students with backgrounds in control theory, robotics, applied mathematics, or related areas.
Prospective students are encouraged to email me at tongjia.zheng@ualberta.ca with the subject line “Prospective Student.” Please include your CV, transcripts, a brief description of your background and research interests, and when you can start. You may also attach your publications, if any.
Featured Publications
Estimating Dynamic Soft Continuum Robot States From Boundaries
Zheng, Tongjia, Burgner-Kahrs, Jessica
International Journal of Robotics Research (Accepted). 2026 September;
Zheng, Tongjia, Han, Qing, Lin, Hai
IEEE Transactions on Automatic Control. 2025 January; 10.1109/TAC.2024.3485404
Zheng, Tongjia, Yuan, Zhenyuan, Nayyar, Mollik, Wagner, Alan R., Zhu, Minghui, Lin, Hai
IEEE Transactions on Control Systems Technology. 2024 January; 10.1109/TCST.2024.3410138
Zheng, Tongjia, Han, Qing, Lin, Hai
IEEE Transactions on Automatic Control. 2022 January; 10.1109/TAC.2021.3123239
Zheng, Tongjia, Han, Qing, Lin, Hai
IEEE Transactions on Automatic Control. 2022 January; 10.1109/TAC.2021.3108672
View additional publications