Dr. Zheng is currently a Professor in the Department of Software and Information Systems in the College of Computing and Informatics at the University of North Carolina, Charlotte, a position he has held since 2001.
Dr. Zheng received his Bachelor of Science degree in 1982 from Southeast University (formerly Nanjing Institute of Technology) in China. He received a Master of Engineering degree in 1988 and his Ph.D. in 1991 from Yokohama National University in Japan. At Yokohama University, he studied under the renowned Professor Hideki Imai, who is an IEEE Fellow, an IEEE Golden Jubilee Awardee, and a Japan Prize Recipient.An internationally recognized expert in cyber security, Dr. Zheng invented the “signcryption" algorithm, a cryptographic method that achieves unforgeability and confidentiality simultaneously, which is now an ISO International Standard for Data Security. He has also founded a technology start-up company to commercialize his research outcomes. A prolific researcher with more than 200 refereed publications, Dr. Zheng has been at the forefront of establishing international standards for cyber security, data communications, network security, cloud computing, and cryptography.
Dr. Zheng has held a variety of positions at multiple international universities including Tsinghua University in China, Monash Univeristy in Australia, and the University of Tokyo. While at Monash University, Dr. Zheng served as the deputy Head of the School of Network Computing, and helped establish the Monash University Malaysia Sunway Campus. More recently at UNC Charlotte, he was the Founding Director of the Information Security and Assurance Center (ISAC), and instrumental in establishing a National Center in Information Assurance Education (recognized by the National Security Agency). He served as the Graduate Program Director in the Department of Software and Information Systems and initiated a student-mentoring program that is currently being implemented at the college level.
Among other honors, Dr. Zheng has been awarded the “Thinker in Residence” by Deakin University in Australia (2013), the Award for Distinguished Contributions for International Standardization by the Information Technology Standards Commission of Japan (2012), the Changjiang Scholar at Shandong University in China (2009-2012), and the Essam El-Kwae Student-Faculty Research Award by UNC Charlotte (2004).
“We are fortunate to attract Dr. Zheng as our next Chair of Computer and Information Sciences,” says Robert Palazzo, Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences. “Dr. Zheng brings unique international perspective, credibility, and experience in developing academic programs. In addition, as an internationally recognized cyber security expert, he will bring considerable expertise to accelerate UAB’s considerable momentum in the field of cyber security.”
Dr. Zheng will be on campus before the Fall semester begins.
