Jianwei Zhang

Also known as 张建伟

Jianwei Zhang is a roboticist and professor who heads the TAMS group at Universität Hamburg, where his research spans intelligent robots, embodied AI and multimodal large language models. He studied artificial intelligence at Tsinghua and completed a robotics PhD at Karlsruhe in 1994. At Hamburg, he coordinated the RACE service-robot project and TRR 169 on crossmodal learning, and chaired IEEE MFI 2012, IROS 2015 and the International Symposium of Human-Centered Robotics and Systems in 2018. He joined the Academy of Sciences in Hamburg in 2014, became a foreign member of the Chinese Academy of Engineering in 2023, gave an invited talk at NTU in November 2025, and is an acatech member and TAMS professor as of October 2026.

Now at: Universität Hamburg
Works: 603
Citations: 8,509
h-index: 45
Badges: Rising
Wayfarer
Loyal

Publication numbers from OpenAlex, as of 22 October 2026.

Timeline

1986–1994

Tsinghua degrees and Karlsruhe PhD

At Tsinghua University's Department of Computer Science, he earns a bachelor of engineering with distinction in 1986 and a master of engineering in 1989, both in artificial intelligence. He completes a robotics PhD in 1994 at the University of Karlsruhe's Institute of Real-Time Computer Systems and Robotics.
2011–2014

RACE service robot project

In October 2011, the EU funds RACE, led by Zhang and Bernd Neumann at Universität Hamburg, to build a cognitive robot that learns from experience. The project runs from December 2011 to November 2014, with Zhang as coordinator and partners at Leeds, Örebro, Osnabrück and Aveiro.
2014

Hamburg Academy membership

The Academy of Sciences in Hamburg elects him in informatics in 2014. He is a lifelong member of the academy.
2012–2018

General chair at three conferences

He serves as general chair of IEEE MFI in 2012. In 2015, he chairs IROS in Hamburg, with Alois Knoll as program chair; the conference welcomes more than 2,500 visitors. He also serves as general chair of the International Symposium of Human-Centered Robotics and Systems in 2018.
2015–2020

Coordinating TRR 169

In November 2015, the DFG approves TRR 169, “Cross-modal Learning: Adaptivity, Prediction and Interaction,” with Zhang as spokesperson and Stefan Wermter as co-spokesperson; Hamburg researchers join Tsinghua University, Peking University, Beijing Normal University and the Chinese Academy of Sciences to study crossmodal learning and realize its principles in cognitive robot systems. In November 2019, the DFG renews the centre for a second four-year period with up to €11 million, and Zhang and Wermter coordinate it from Hamburg. In May 2020, Zhang and Fuchun Sun of Tsinghua coordinate its first phase, which passes an online evaluation under joint NSFC and DFG funding.
2023

Foreign member of the CAE

The Chinese Academy of Engineering elects him as a foreign member from Germany in robotics and intelligent manufacturing in 2023.
November 2025

Multimodal embodied AI at NTU

In November 2025, he gives an invited talk at National Taiwan University titled “Multimodal Embodied Artificial Intelligence: Connecting World Models for the Benefit of Humanity.” NTU describes his research as intelligent robotics, embodied AI and multimodal large language models.
As of October 2026

Head of TAMS in Hamburg

He is a professor and head of the TAMS group in the Department of Informatics at Universität Hamburg. Acatech lists him as an ordinary member in the field of AI and robotics.