Ziming Zhou, a senior undergraduate student at the University of Michigan–Shanghai Jiao Tong University Joint Institute, has been named the recipient of the SAE (Society of Automotive Engineers) International Phil Myers Award for Outstanding Student Paper at SAE WCX (World Congress Experience) 2024, a leading global conference on automotive engineering and mobility technologies organized by SAE International. The prestigious award was presented during the SAE WCX 2025, held from April 16 to 18, 2025, in Detroit, the renowned “Motor City” of Michigan in the United States.
At the conference, Zhou presented his research paper titled “Constraint-based Modeling of Fuel-spray Boundary Flow Fields under Sub-cooled and Flash-boiling Conditions,” which was highly recognized by attending experts. The paper, published in the SAE Technical Paper Series (DOI: 10.4271/2024-01-2621), was the only student-led work selected for the award. Named in memory of the late Professor Phil Myers for his contributions to internal combustion engine development and talent cultivation, the award honors students who demonstrate exceptional technical competence and research contributions at SAE-sponsored conferences or competitions.
SAE CEO Jacqueline El-Sayed and SAE 2025 President Robert Ireland presented the award to Ziming Zhou (second from left) and Professor David Hung (second from right).
The paper was led by Ziming Zhou, and jointly completed with Fengnian Zhao, & Qin Huang, under the guidance of JI Professor David Hung. The team proposed an innovative constraint-based modeling approach capable of accurately reconstructing the dynamic interactions between fuel spray and ambient air under both sub-cooled and flash-boiling conditions.
Utilizing high-speed imaging and constraint-based modeling techniques, the team uncovered mechanisms of how flash-boiling sprays significantly alter surrounding airflow patterns. These findings are expected to offer important theoretical insights for improving engine combustion efficiency and reducing emissions, ultimately enabling real-time synchronized control of fuel injection spray and air movement.
Research diagram of the constraint-based modeling approach in the award-winning paper
“This research exemplifies how rigorous modeling and precision experimentation can come together to unlock a deeper understanding of complex fuel-air interaction phenomena,” said Professor Hung. “Ziming Zhou’s methodical work and original thinking pushed the boundaries of what we can measure and model in real engine-relevant conditions.”
Award Recipient Biographies
Ziming Zhou is a senior student majoring in Electronics and Computer Engineering at JI and is currently pursuing a dual degree in Computer Science at the University of Michigan. His research interests include data-driven analysis and prediction of in-cylinder flow fields, physics-informed neural networks, and engineering applications of numerical analysis methods. He will pursue a Ph.D. at UM after graduation. His honors include the National Scholarship, Tang Junyuan Scholarship, and John Wu & Jane Sun Excellence Scholarship. He was also winner of the Undergraduate Research Competition at the 2023 ASME Internal Combustion Engine Forward (ICEF) Conference held in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
Fengnian Zhao is an assistant researcher at School of Ocean and Civil Engineering of Shanghai Jiao Tong University. He received his Ph.D. from SJTU under the supervision of Professor David Hung. His research focuses on laser diagnostics and 3D reconstruction of complex fluids, spray atomization, spray-air interactions, and data-driven analysis and prediction. He is currently leading a Youth Program of National Natural Science Foundation of China and has received awards such as ASME ICEF Best Track Paper, “Chenxing” Postdoc Award.
Qin Huang is an outstanding alumnus of JI and is currently pursuing a master’s degree in Biostatistics at Columbia University. Her research focuses on the theoretical and practical challenges of modeling complex, high-dimensional data. Her work centers on the evaluation, selection, and refinement of statistical and machine learning frameworks for large-scale data environments, with an emphasis on algorithmic robustness, model generalizability, and performance optimization. She plans to join the pharmaceutical industry as a computational statistician after graduation.
David Hung is a JI tenured professor and doctoral supervisor holding the positions of Associate Dean for Academic Affairs and John Wu & Jane Sun Chair Professor. With over 25 years of experience in research and development in the field of automotive engineering, particularly in powertrains and internal combustion engine combustion systems, he has received numerous global SAE awards, including SAE Henry Souther Standards Award, SAE InterReg Young Engineer Standards Award, SAE Technical Standards Board Outstanding Contribution Award, and SAE Engineering Meetings Board Outstanding Oral Presentation Awards. Professor Hung, who also won the 2019 SAE International Phil Myers Outstanding Student Paper Award for his joint work with researchers at the University of Oxford, is a Fellow of the SAE International.
