Welcoming New Editorial Board Member of Automation—Prof. Dr. Tianwen Zhang
We are pleased to announce that a new scholar, Prof. Dr. Tianwen Zhang, has been appointed Editorial Board Member (EBM) for Automation (ISSN: 2673-4052), effective February 2026. We wish him success in both his research and his efforts to develop the journal.
Name: Prof. Dr. Tianwen Zhang
Affiliation: Faculty of Geosciences and Engineering, Southwest Jiaotong University, Chengdu 611756, China
Interests: automatic target recognition; intelligent transportation; remote sensing; V2X; radar signal processing; synthesis aperture radar
Prof. Dr. Tianwen Zhang, PhD, Professor of SWJTU, Yanghua Fellow, and PhD supervisor, is a Clarivate Highly Cited Scholar and is in the top 2% of scientists in the world. He has published over 30 papers in journals such as ISPRS, TGRS, TAES, TITS, TIM, TAP, JSTARS, GRSL, PR, RS, and more. He has also been cited over 10 times in ESI as a highly cited/hot topic, and has been cited more than 4000 times on Google Scholar.
The following is an interview with Prof. Dr. Tianwen Zhang:
1. Could you briefly introduce how you first learned about the journal Automation?
I have long followed international academic journals in the field of automation and control engineering. As an emerging open access journal in this field, Automation has demonstrated outstanding performance in terms of academic quality and international development in recent years. Through academic conferences, recommendations from peers, and continuous attention to the journal's official website, I gradually gained an in-depth understanding of and came to identify with its editorial philosophy and development direction.
2. What research directions do you believe the journal should focus on?
In my opinion, the journal should focus on areas such as intelligent control, industrial automation system integration, artificial intelligence-driven automation, robotics, digital manufacturing, and the security and reliability of automation systems. Additionally, interdisciplinary fields such as the integration of automation with biomedicine and energy systems are also worth attention.
3. What suggestions do you have for the journal to expand its presence in the Chinese market?
I suggest strengthening collaboration with universities and research institutions in China by inviting high-level scholars to organize Special Issues. At the same time, the journal's visibility among Chinese scholars can be enhanced through channels such as WeChat public accounts, academic conferences, and Editorial Board presentations. Establishing awards or support programs targeting young scholars to encourage more high-quality submissions could also be considered.
It is recommended that the journal strengthen multi-channel promotion after article publication, such as through social media, email alerts, and academic platforms for targeted dissemination. At the same time, the review process should be optimized to provide professional and constructive feedback. Additionally, organizing online academic presentations or author sharing sessions can help increase the visibility of excellent papers and foster academic exchange.