Xu Tianyi, class of 2026 in Civil Engineering at ZJUI, received the National Scholarship and multiple honors for academic excellence, social work, cultural and sports activities, and public service, and was recognized as an Outstanding Student of Zhejiang University. Along the way, her research interests evolved from remote sensing image processing to digital twin bridge modeling, helping her refine her academic interests and identify the direction she wanted to pursue.
Beyond academics, Xu served as president of the Chaosheng Broadcasting Club at the International Campus, Zhejiang University, conducted urban livability research in Hangzhou and Chengdu, and participated in voluntary teaching and field research in Jingdong, Yunnan. She also remained active in sports, earning awards in the 2022 Zhejiang University Sports Meet.
Her outstanding academic performance, rich research experience and proven leadership abilities secured her multiple offers from top universities, including the University of California, Berkeley, the University of California, Los Angeles, the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign and Carnegie Mellon University. She has finally decided to pursue a direct-entry PhD program in smart transportation at the University of Hong Kong.
Upon enrolling at ZJUI, Xu Tianyi quickly adapted to the rigorous curriculum, gradually honing strong communication and academic presentation skills. Her exceptional academic achievements earned her the National Scholarship and Provincial Government Scholarship, among other prestigious honors.
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Outside regular coursework, she actively engaged in interdisciplinary research. Her first research project, supervised by Associate Professor Yang Yingchun from the College of Computer Science and Technology, Zhejiang University, centered on a remote sensing ground object label quality evaluation algorithm. During this project, she built solid expertise in image processing and feature extraction. Later, she joined the research group led by ZJUI Assistant Professor Yasutaka Narazaki. As the leader of a six-person team, she worked on parametric digital twin bridge modeling (RBG), and leveraged Python and Blender to develop parametric models for a variety of bridge types.
She also collaborated with Shanghai Research Institute of Building Sciences (Group) Co., Ltd., gaining hands-on experience in real-world engineering practices through bridge drone scanning and inspection work. Based on the findings from this project, she published a paper as the student first author in the ASCE-ASME Journal of Risk and Uncertainty in Engineering Systems, Part A: Civil Engineering.
To further expand her academic horizons, during her internship at the Digital Intelligence Research Institute of East China Architectural Design & Research Institute, she explored practical implementation pathways for multimodal large language models in structural health monitoring scenarios. Combined with her coursework in operations optimization, these diverse experiences guided her to define her core research direction: Smart Mobility On-Demand and transportation system operations optimization. “Although my research spans multiple disciplines, this interdisciplinary background will likely become a unique strength for my future work in smart transportation,” she shared.
As class monitor for three consecutive years, she organized a wide range of class activities. Even during her overseas exchange, she continued to unite fellow students by hosting community events and experience-sharing sessions. She subsequently took on the role of President of the Chaosheng Broadcasting Club, and under her leadership, the club was awarded the title of “Excellent Student Club”.
Her spirit of public service extended far beyond the campus. In her freshman year, she participated in a research project on urban livability in Hangzhou and Chengdu, investigating key areas including education, employment and transportation. The project won the First Prize in Zhejiang University Winter Social Practice Program, and first sparked her interest in urban mobility and transportation systems.
Her volunteer teaching experience in Jingdong Yi Autonomous County, Yunnan, gave her a far deeper understanding of what education truly means. As curriculum team leader, she oversaw four courses—mathematical thinking, orienteering, creative art, and music. Watching the children look up at her with their bright eyes, seeing her as an all-knowing grown-up, she felt for the first time that a teacher's every word and action truly plants seeds in a child's heart. Education is never a one-way act of illumination. She brought the children knowledge and broader horizons, and they repaid her with their purest enthusiasm and sincerity. That overflowing sense of fulfillment, surprise, and warmth holds a preciousness that no words can ever capture.
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Beyond study and public service, a diverse range of hobbies keeps her curious and energetic. As an avid long-distance runner, she has been passionate about sports from an early age. At the Zhejiang University Sports Games, she claimed 8th place in the women’s 1500-meter race and 7th place in the women’s 4×400-meter relay.
Cosplay has become a distinctive way for her to express herself and draw spiritual inspiration. Motivated by her interests, she taught herself to play the electric guitar and picked up French in her spare time. Together with skiing, hiking, traveling and photography, these enriching hobbies have added great color to her life. She firmly believes that every experience contributes to personal growth.
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Looking back on her four years at ZJUI, Xu remarked that her most rewarding gains stem from continuously stepping out of her comfort zone. “I have grown tremendously through interdisciplinary exploration. It has sharpened my problem-solving skills, broadened my worldview, and helped me cultivate a calm and composed mindset.”
