-1.jpg?mode=fit&width=600&height=600&quality=80)
Biography and education
My research focuses on advancing decision-making through analytics, operations management, and interdisciplinary methods, addressing challenges in healthcare, transportation, clean energy, and sustainability. I integrate mathematical modeling, simulation, queueing networks, machine learning, and data-driven approaches to create practical solutions that benefit policymakers, businesses, and communities. My teaching interests center on analytics, statistics, and technology-driven business education, with an emphasis on student-centered, experiential learning that bridges theory and practice.
I actively contribute to the academic community through journal reviewing, conference leadership, and graduate student supervision. I have organized and chaired sessions at international conferences such as INFORMS and DSI, and I serve as a reviewer for top journals, including Production and Operations Management (POMS),Transportation Research Part E (TRE), and Computers & Industry Engineering. I also collaborate with industry partners on data-driven projects that connect research to practice, while mentoring graduate and undergraduate students in both research and applied analytics initiatives. I earned my Ph.D. in Operations Management from McGill University, an M.Sc. in Mathematical and Computational Finance from the University of Oxford, and a B.Sc. in Computational Mathematics from Nanjing University. I have also passed all three levels of the Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) program.
I actively contribute to the academic community through journal reviewing, conference leadership, and graduate student supervision. I have organized and chaired sessions at international conferences such as INFORMS and DSI, and I serve as a reviewer for top journals, including Production and Operations Management (POMS),Transportation Research Part E (TRE), and Computers & Industry Engineering. I also collaborate with industry partners on data-driven projects that connect research to practice, while mentoring graduate and undergraduate students in both research and applied analytics initiatives. I earned my Ph.D. in Operations Management from McGill University, an M.Sc. in Mathematical and Computational Finance from the University of Oxford, and a B.Sc. in Computational Mathematics from Nanjing University. I have also passed all three levels of the Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) program.
Teaching Interests
Research Interests
Featured grants
- Zhu, Cheng. McCoy Faculty Development Fund, McCoy College of Business, Texas State University, $2600. (Funded: September 2024 - August 2025). Grant.
- Zhu, Cheng. McCoy Faculty Development Fund, McCoy College of Business, Texas State University, $2450. (Funded: September 2023 - August 2024). Grant.
- Zhu, Cheng. McCoy College Summer Stipend, McCoy College of Business, Texas State University, $8000. (Funded: May 2023 - August 2023). Grant.
- Zhu, Cheng. Delivering in the Time of COVID-19: A Population-Based Study of Childbirths in the U.S., Translational Health Research Center Awards, Texas State University, $10000. (Funded: April 2023 - March 31, 2024). Grant.
- Zhu, Cheng (Principal), Jin, Tongdan (Co-Principal). Research Enhancement Program, Texas State University, $16000. (Funded: December 2022 - June 2024). Grant.
Featured scholarly/creative works
- Zhu, E., Kucukyazici, B., & Maizi, Y. (2020). Designing Observation Units for Heart Failure Patients: Capacity and Patient Flow Considerations. Service Science, 12(1), 1–42.
- Sun, W., Hu, S., Li, J., Wu, T., & Zhu, C. (2025). Multi-type traffic sensor location problem for origin-destination estimation considering spatiotemporal correlation and sensor failure. Transportation Research Part C: Emerging Technologies, 179.
- Liu, P., Shao, F., Shao, H., Wu, T., & Zhu, C. (2025). Modeling the sparsity and density of measurement errors for origin–destination demand estimation. Transportation Research Part E: Logistics and Transportation Review, 201.
- Liu, P., Shao, H., Zhu, C., Shao, F., Xu, S., & Tang, C. (2025). An inertia-infused ADMM-based splitting algorithm with parallel computing for traffic assignment. Transportation Letters.
- Najdawi, F. Z. H., Zhu, C., & Jin, T. (2025). Cost and Availability Optimization for Electric Vehicle Charging Infrastructure via Redundancy-Spares-Repair Allocation. Quality and Reliability Engineering International.
Featured awards
- Award / Honor Recipient: Excellence in Scholarly/Creative Activities, McCoy College of Business. August 21, 2025
- Award / Honor Recipient: Robert J. Olney Early Career Research Award, McCoy College of Business. August 2023
- Award / Honor Recipient: Presidential Awards for Excellence in Teaching, McCoy College of Business. 2022
- Award / Honor Recipient: Changemaker Awards, McCoy College of Business. 2022
- Award / Honor Recipient: Teaching Award of Honor, Texas State Alumni Association. July 2020
Featured service activities
- Member
DBA Applications Review Committee
- Member
MBA Applications Review Committee
- Reviewer / Referee
Computers & Industrial Engineering
- Reviewer / Referee
Production and Operations Management Society
- Member
Information System Faculty Search
- Member
Information System Faculty Search