COSS Lab – Dr. Weihang Zhu
DoEdu Research Experience for Undergraduates in System Modeling and Simulation (Updated on July 25, 2025)
Five Research Experience for Undergraduate (REU) positions are open, funded by U.S. Department of Education. The research field is system modeling and simulation with Simio in Industrial Engineering. The stipend is $6,000 for the three summer months. The lab is located at SAB1-317, the new System Modeling and Simulation Lab with Alienware Workstations and VR headsets. Interested students please contact me via email with your resume and transcripts (unofficial is OK) as soon as possible.
For Interested Graduate Students:
Due to the current uncertainties in funding agencies, our lab has stopped accepting new graduate students for spring 2026. We do not have open positions for graduate students in our lab now.
About the COSS Lab
The Computational Optimization and Smart Systems (COSS) Lab was established when Dr. Weihang Zhu moved from Lamar University to University of Houston in Fall 2018. The lab is located in SAB1-317 and SAB2-116 in the Sugar Land Campus, co-located with the new labs in fabrication, additive manufacturing, mechatronics, and automation. As of July 2025, our lab is currently funded by federal grants from NSF (4), USDA (2), EPA (1), NASEM (1), Department of Education (1), NIH (1), and one industry grant from Halliburton.
About the SMS Lab
The System Modeling and Simulation (SMS) Lab has been established in Spring 2024 with the support from Department of Education. The lab is located in SAB1-317 in the Sugar Land Campus. The lab is co-directed by Dr. Weihang Zhu, Dr. Suresh Khator, and Dr. Ying Lin. The lab is supervised by the postdoc.
News at University of Houston
- Dr. Zhu received the NSF grant #2501700: UH EEC-RET Site Program in June 2025.
- Through collaboration with PI Dr. G. Song, Dr. Zhu has received an industry grant from Halliburton to investigate the case wearing in oil drilling process in September 2024.
- An NIH R01 grant “Clinical decision-support algorithms for interactive design of patient-specific breast molds“, led by MPI Dr. Fatima Merchant (UH), Dr. Mia Markey (UT-Austin), and Dr. Ashleigh Francis (MD Anderson Cancer Center), was awarded in July 2024. Dr. Ann Chen, Dr. Liz Rodwell, and Dr. Zhu are co-Investigators at UH in this grant.
- Dr. Zhu received the Department of Education grant P116S230007 “Developing Modeling and Simulation based Programs at the University of Houston”, through collaboration with Drs. Khator (IE), Lin (IE), Evans (teachHOUSTON), and Greer (HDCS) in November 2023.
- Dr. Zhu received the TAMU Ocean Energy Safety Institute (OESI) No. M2304846 subcontract “Reduce the frequency and impact of crane lifting-related incidents by developing an enhanced understanding of Human Factors issues/concerns” through collaboration with ABS (PD: Dr. McSweeney) in October 2023.
- Dr. Zhu received the NASEM grant No. SCON-10000864 “Using Safety Culture Assessment Data to Enhance Safety and Environmental Management System Effectiveness” through collaboration with ABS (PD: Dr. McSweeney) and LU in August 2023. This is Phase II for NASEM grant #200011064 that was completed in May 2023.
- Dr. Zhu received the USDA grant (2023-51300-40853), “Using Organic Mushroom Stems as Sustainable Feed Resource for Organic Poultry Production” (PI Balan, Co-PI Zhu) through collaboration with PVAMU (Drs. Lohakare and Hakeem) and UGA (Drs. Kim, Dunkley, and Chai) in July 2023.
- Society of Manufacturing Engineers UH Student Chapter, for which Dr. Zhu is the faculty advisor, achieved Gold Status.
- Dr. Zhu received the Faculty Research Excellence Award 2023 at UH Cullen College of Engineering Technology Division.
- Dr. Zhu received the UH GEAR grant #000187482 to develop a mechatronics device for interoperative surgical planning through collaboration with Dr. Merchant and Dr. Gregory Reece (MD Anderson Cancer Center) in March 2023.
- Dr. Zhu received the EPA grant 02D48123 “Demonstrating the Nutrient Removal in Urban-dominated Watersheds using Floating Macrophytes” (PI. Dr. Balan, Co-PI, Drs. Zhu and Shan) through collaboration with PVAMU (Drs. Ray and Neelgund) and ODU (Dr. Kumar) in March 2023.
- Dr. Zhu received the UH infrastructure grant “Large-Scale Testbed at UH Sugarland Campus for Promoting Biotechnology Research” (PI. Dr. Balan, Co-PI, Drs. Zhu and Benhaddou) in January 2023
- Dr. Zhu received the NSF grant #2220683 “Industries of the Future Research Experience for Preservice Teachers in STEM Settings” (PI Dr. Zhu, with Drs. Evans, Balan, Benhaddou, L. Fan, G. Song, T. Greer, and Ms. Mateer) in July 2022;
- Dr. Zhu received the NSF grant #2141674 “3D Printing Integrated Engineering Design Education for Preservice STEM Teachers” (PI Dr. Zhu, co-PI Drs. Manuel and Evans) in July 2022;
- Dr. Zhu received the USDA grant #2022-67022-37867 “Developing Automated System for Mushroom Harvesting” (PI Dr. Zhu, co-PI Drs. Benhaddou, Balan, and Merchant) in July 2022;
- Dr. Zhu was granted NVIDIA Deep Learning Institute (DLI) University Ambassadorship in Feb 2022.
- Dr. Zhu was promoted to Full Professor at University of Houston in May 2021.
- Dr. Zhu received the USDA grant #2021-67022-34889 “IOT Based Smart Automated Mushroom Production System” (PI Dr. Balan, co-PI Drs. Benhaddou and Zhu) in May 2021.
- Dr. Zhu received the subaward grant from ABS/LU Maritime Safety Research in June 2020.
- Dr. Zhu received the NSF grant #1950036: tH-ACCESS Noyce Program in Mar 2020 (PI: Dr. Evans).
- Dr. Zhu received the Advanced Manufacturing Institute grant with PI Dr. Yu (ME) (Phase II) in Feb, 2020.
- Dr. Zhu received a NASEM grant #200011064 on Offshore Safety through collaborating with ABS (PD: Dr. McSweeney) and LU in Jan 2020.
- Dr. Zhu received the NSF grant #1855147: UH EEC-RET Site Program in Sept 2019.
- Dr. Zhu received the subaward grant from ABS/LU Maritime Safety Research in Aug 2019.
- Dr. Zhu received the Advanced Manufacturing Institute grant with PI Dr. Yu (ME) (Phase I) in Feb, 2019.
- Dr. Zhu joined University of Houston as a tenured Associate Professor in Aug 2018.
More archived news here.