Cheng Huailei holds a dual‑degree Doctorate from Tongji University and The Hong Kong Polytechnic University. He is a National Young Talents recipient, Tenure‑Track Associate Professor / Distinguished Young Professor (Young Hundred Talents Program) and doctoral supervisor at Tongji University, winner of the May Fourth Youth Medal of Tongji University, and core member of the National Huang Danian‑Style University Teacher Team. His research interests include dynamic performance monitoring and intelligent simulation of pavements, durable and green materials, as well as whole‑life‑cycle emission analysis of road infrastructure.
He has presided over 3 projects funded by the National Natural Science Foundation of China, more than 10 other projects including the National Postdoctoral Innovative Talents Support Program, Postdoctoral Science Foundation, and Open Research Projects of Key Laboratories, and participated in multiple major projects such as the National Key Research and Development Program and Research Grants Council Major Projects of Hong Kong. He has published over 110 academic papers, among which 60 are SCI/EI papers as the first or corresponding author, including papers in the sub‑journals of Nature Communications, 3 ESI Hot Papers, 4 ESI Highly Cited Papers, and 4 outstanding conference papers or top‑cited/most‑read/most‑downloaded journal papers.
He has been granted 17 invention patents in China, the United States, the United Kingdom and other countries, 2 software copyrights, with 20 patents under substantive examination, and won one patent award at the Geneva International Invention Exhibition. He has participated in compiling the industry standard Code for Design of Asphalt Pavement for Civil Airports issued by the Civil Aviation Administration of China (5th contributor) and two local standards. He has delivered more than 30 presentations at domestic and international conferences, served as an academic committee member for six academic organizations/conferences including WTC, TIM and NBSUI, and been appointed as editorial board member, youth editorial board member or guest editor for eight domestic and international journals such as FDMP, JTTE and China Journal of Highway and Transport. He acts as a reviewer for over 60 journals and was honored as an Outstanding Reviewer by China Journal of Highway and Transport.
His major awards include the Young Scientist Award of the Hong Kong Academy of Sciences, Global Young Researcher Award in Applied Science (only 2 recipients annually), Excellent Doctoral Dissertation Award from China Highway and Transportation Society, First Prize of Shanghai Natural Science Award (2nd contributor), First Prize of Natural Science Award of the Ministry of Education (5th contributor), First Prize of Shanxi Provincial Science and Technology Progress Award (3rd contributor), and First Prize of Science and Technology Award from China Highway and Transportation Society.
His research achievements support teaching and talent cultivation. He has published 2 teaching reform papers as the corresponding author, teaches a first‑class undergraduate course in Shanghai, and supervised students to win the First Prize in the International Competition for Intelligent Simulation of Transportation Infrastructure and the Second Prize in the National Forum for Doctoral Students in Transportation Engineering.
Undergraduate and postgraduate students majoring in transportation engineering, as well as those from mechanics, materials science, environmental science, information engineering and other disciplines with interests in the intelligence, greening and durability of transportation infrastructure are warmly welcome to apply for admission!
Educational background
Ph.D. in Civil and Environmental Engineering, The Hong Kong PolytechnicUniversity (2019–2022)
Ph.D. in Traffic and Transportation Engineering, Tongji University (2016–2020)
B.Eng. in Traffic Engineering, Tongji University (2012–2016)
Work experience
Tenure‑Track Associate Professor&Distinguished Young Professor School of Transportation Engineering, Tongji University (Feb. 2024 – Present)
Postdoctoral Research Fellow, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University (Dec. 2022 – Jan. 2024)
Postdoctoral Research Fellow, School of Transportation Engineering, Tongji University (Dec. 2020 – Nov. 2022)
Research Outputs
His research focuses on dynamic performance monitoring and intelligent simulation of pavements, durable and green materials, and whole‑life‑cycle emission analysis of road infrastructure. He has proposed a structural dynamic parameter system and behavioral analysis method under dynamic vehicle loads, developed a complex dynamic‑load fatigue test system together with its damage model, and established a whole‑life‑cycle carbon emission calculation method for vehicle‑pavement coupled systems.
His publications have been cited and positively commented by academicians from China, the United States, Europe, Sweden and other countries/regions (described as “significant contribution”, “good applicability”, etc.). The reliability of his research findings has been formally verified by research teams from Texas A&M University, Politecnico di Torino, and the University of the Sunshine Coast. His achievements have been reported by Nature Portfolio, CCTV Science and Education Channel, the TRB Committee of the National Academy of Sciences (USA), China Communications News and other mainstream media.
His dynamic‑load frequency models and response data have been directly adopted by more than ten international research teams and integrated into next‑generation pavement mechanical analysis software including MultiSmart3D_Dynamics, LMGC90 and SAFEM_DT, which have been promoted and applied in the United States and France. His dynamic response analysis method has been applied to key pavement projects for dynamic response evaluation, such as the Zhangji‑Ji’an Expressway (a scientific demonstration project of the Ministry of Transport of China), the Riverside Corridor of Shanghai Outer Ring Expressway (a major municipal project), and Tuen Mun Road in Hong Kong.
His fatigue testing methods and models have been employed by international peers for fatigue damage analysis of pavement structures in the United States, Hungary and other countries, as well as residual service‑life assessment for multiple expressways including the Longqing Section of G25 Changchun‑Shenzhen Expressway, G1503 Shanghai Ring Expressway and Yanjiang Expressway under State Grid Corporation of China. His methodologies on durable and green materials have been applied to maintenance projects covering over 1,000 kilometers of expressways and national/provincial trunk highways, generating remarkable economic benefits.
Research Projects
[1]Excellent Young Scientists Fund (Overseas), National Natural Science Foundation of China, Long‑Life Pavement, Jan. 2024 – Dec. 2026, Principal Investigator.
[2]General Program, National Natural Science Foundation of China, Full‑Depth Fatigue Damage of Asphalt Layers in Long‑Life Pavements under Real Temperature and Aging Fields, Jan. 2026 – Dec. 2029, Principal Investigator.
[3]Young Scientists Fund, National Natural Science Foundation of China, Fatigue Damage Evolution of Asphalt Mixtures under Coupled Multiaxial Loading Waves, Jan. 2022 – Dec. 2024, Principal Investigator.
[4]Development of Environment‑Friendly Crumb Rubber‑Modified Asphalt Mixtures and Evaluation of Emission Reduction Effects, Key R&D Project of Shanxi Smart Transportation Laboratory, Nov. 2024 – Oct. 2026, Principal Investigator.
[5]National Postdoctoral Innovative Talents Support Program, Fatigue Damage Evolution of Cold‑Recycled Pavements under Heavy‑Duty Multiaxial Loading Waves, National Administration of Postdoctoral Affairs of China, Jan. 2021 – Dec. 2022, Principal Investigator.
[6]Distinguished Post‑doctoral Fellowship, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Development of new fatigue damage evaluation method for asphalt mixture layer considering the coupling effects of temperature and oxidative aging to improve asphalt pavement durability, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Dec. 2022 – Jan. 2024, Principal Investigator.
[7]Shanghai Super Postdoctoral Incentive Program, Modulus Evolution of Pavement Asphalt Layers under Coupled Load‑Environment Conditions, Shanghai Municipal Bureau of Human Resources and Social Security, Dec. 2020 – Dec. 2022, Principal Investigator.
[8]China Postdoctoral Science Foundation, Fatigue Damage Characteristics of Asphalt Mixtures under Interactions between Complex Loading Waveforms and Rest Periods, China Postdoctoral Science Foundation, Nov. 2021 – Dec. 2022, Principal Investigator.
[9]Open Fund Project of Key Laboratory of Road Structure and Material of Ministry of Transport, Study on Fatigue Limit of Asphalt Mixtures for Long‑Life Pavements under Complex Axle Loads, Research Institute of Highway, Ministry of Transport, Apr. 2022 – Dec. 2023, Principal Investigator.
[10]Research Impact Fund, New prefabricated composite pavement systems for sustainable and smart‑city development of Hong Kong: Key scientific and engineering solutions, Aug. 2019 – Aug. 2023, Participant.
[11]National Key R&D Program of China, Theory and Methods for Intelligent Simulation of Service Performance of Road Infrastructure, Mar. 2019 – Dec. 2022, Participant.
Awards & Honors
[1]Outstanding Doctoral Dissertation Award, China Highway and Transportation Society, 2021.
[2]Young Scientist Award, Hong Kong Academy of Sciences, 2023.
[3]Young Researcher Award in Applied Sciences (only two awarded globally per year), 2026.
[4]First Prize of Shanghai Natural Science Award, Multi‑scale Characterization and Regulation of Damage‑Self‑healing Behavior of Asphalt Pavements (2/5), 2026.
[5]First Prize of Shanxi Provincial Science and Technology Progress Award, Innovation and Application of Key Low‑carbon Recycling Technologies for Asphalt Pavements in Large Temperature‑difference Zones (3/10), 2024.
[6]First Prize of Natural Science Award, Ministry of Education of China, Forward‑inverse Analysis Theory and Whole‑life Evolution Model of Pavement Performance (5th contributor), 2025.
[7]Outstanding Paper Award, World Transport Convention (WTC) 2021 (1/4), 2021.
[8]Recipient of the May Fourth Youth Medal, Tongji University, 2026.
[9]Second Prize of Shanxi Provincial Science and Technology Progress Award, Key Technologies and Engineering Application of High‑efficiency and Eco‑friendly In‑place Hot Recycling for Asphalt Pavements (6/8), 2022.
[10]Excellent Award for Industry‑University‑Research Cooperation Innovation Achievements, China Industry‑University‑Research Institute Promotion Association, Research and Application of Key Technologies for Project‑level Maintenance Design of Asphalt Pavements under Complex Environments (6/10), 2022.
[11]Outstanding Reviewer, China Journal of Highway and Transport, 2022.
[12]First Prize of Science and Technology Award, China Highway and Transportation Society, Research on New Structural Maintenance Design Theory and Key Ambient‑temperature Recycling Technologies for Asphalt Pavements (15/15), 2019.
Publications
[1]Cheng H, Wang Y, Chong D, et al. Truck platooning reshapes greenhouse gas emissions of the integrated vehicle-road infrastructure system.Nature Communications, 2023: 1-10. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-023-40116-0. (JCR Q1, IF 16.6)
[2]Cheng H, Sun L, Wang Y, et al. Effects of actual loading waveforms on the fatigue behaviours of asphalt mixtures. International Journal of Fatigue, 2021: 106386.(ESI Highly Cited Paper <1%, The Journal’s Top-Cited Paper)
[3]Cheng H, Liu L, Sun L. Bridging the gap between laboratory and field moduli of asphalt layer for pavement design and assessment: A comprehensive loading frequency-based approach. Frontiers of Structural and Civil Engineering, 2022: 1-14.(ESI Hot Paper <0.1%, Highly Cited Paper <1%)
[4]Cheng H, Sun L, Wang Y, et al. Analysis of fatigue behaviors of asphalt mixture under actual loading waveforms using pseudo-strain-based approaches. International Journal of Pavement Engineering, 2022: 1-14.
[5]Cheng H, Wang Y, Liu L, et al. Effects of using different dynamic moduli on predicted asphalt pavement responses in mechanistic pavement design. Road Materials and Pavement Design, 2021: 1-17.https://doi.org/10.1080/14680629.2021.192484.
[6]Cheng H, Wang, Y., Liu, L., et al. Estimating tensile and compressive moduli of asphalt mixture from indirect tensile and four-point bending tests. Journal of Materials in Civil Engineering, 2021, 33(1), 04020402.
[7]Cheng H,Sun L, Yang R, et al. Relating field moduli of asphalt mixture layer under vehicular loading and its dynamic moduli under laboratory loading. Transportation Research Record, 2022, 2676(2): 567-579.
[8]Cheng H, Liu L, Sun L, et al. Comparative analysis of strain-pulse-based loading frequencies for three types of asphalt pavements via field tests with moving truck axle loading. Construction and Building Materials, 2020, 247: 118519.
[9]Cheng, H., Liu, J., Sun, L., Liu, L., & Zhang, Y. (2020). Fatigue behaviours of asphalt mixture at different temperatures in four-point bending and indirect tensile fatigue tests. Construction and Building Materials, 121675.（SCI）
[10]Cheng H, Xue C, Lang H, et al. The unification of damage evolution in asphalt mixtures under various strain waveforms using the dissipated energy indicator[J], Construction and Building Materials, 2025: 493: 143214.