About Me

I am an Adolf Martens Fellow at the Federal Institute for Materials Research and Testing (BAM), Berlin, Germany. I received my Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering from Université Laval, Canada, under the supervision of Prof. Xavier Maldague. I am a member of IEEE, SPIE, ASME, ASNT, and CINDE, and serve as a Guest Editor for Journal of Applied Physics and Sensors Journal.

My research lies at the intersection of photothermal imaging, terahertz imaging, theoretical physics, statistical physics, physics-informed learning, and non-destructive evaluation/testing. I develop new physics formulation and advanced imaging techniques to reveal hidden structural, thermal, and material information in complex systems.

My current research focuses on virtual-wave transformation, physics-informed learning, photothermal and terahertz imaging, diffusion-wave physics, and computational super-resolution.

Education

2023–2025: Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering, Université Laval, Canada

2019–2022: M.Eng. in Solid Mechanics, Ningbo University, China

2015–2019: B.Eng. in Engineering Mechanics, North University of China, China

Work experience

2026–now: Researcher in Bundesanstalt für Materialforschung und -prüfung (BAM), Germany

2025–2025: Industrial Ph.D. in Sayona Inc., Canada

2025–2025: Industrial Ph.D. in Nemaska Lithium Inc., Canada

2023–2025: Industrial Ph.D. in Visooimage Inc., Canada

2022–2023: Research Assistant in Harbin Institute of Technology, China

Research Interests

What If We Use Quantum Mechanics to Re-Constructure Classical Heat Transport?

Non-Hermitian System, Quantum Geometry, Exceptional Point, and Casual Heat Transport Under Special Relativity.

How to Create/Apply Physics-Informing Learning

Spectral Geometry, Manifold Filtering, Physics-Informed Neural Networks, and Neural Operator Learning.

How to Link Two Totally Distinct Physical Field?

Virtual Wave (Potential) Transformation, Cross-Physics Learning, and Unified (Generalized) Virtual Wave Operator.

What if We Apply Quantum/Statistical Physics to Classical Solid Mechanics

Spectral Manifold and EigenBundles, Metamaterials, and Group-Theoretical Mechanics.

News

Jul 2026
Structured Illumination Scanning Thermography (SISTER)
New preprint available on arXiv.
[Paper] [Code]
Jun 2026
A Unified Framework for Virtual Wave Transform: From Generalized Formulation to Excitation-Specific Projection
New preprint available on arXiv.
[Paper] [Code]
May 2026
Analytic Continuation Between Real- and Imaginary-Time Quantum Dynamics and the Fundamental Instability of Inverse Reconstruction
New preprint available on arXiv.
[Paper] [Code]
May 2026
Generalized Virtual-Wave Theory for Photothermal Coherence Tomography under Arbitrary Excitation Toward Non-Contact Industrial Inspection of Composite Materials
New preprint available on arXiv.
[Paper] [Code]
Apr 2026
Non-Hermitian Exceptional Dynamics in First-Order Heat Transport
New preprint available on arXiv.
[Paper] [Code]

Selected Publications

Pengfei Zhu et al. Spectral-domain Snell’s law in diffusion-wave fields. arXiv, 2026. Link
Pengfei Zhu, et al. Three-dimensional wide-bandwidth quantum energy truncation terahertz coherence tomography. Physical Review Letters, 2026. Link
Pengfei Zhu, et al. Frequency Multiplexed Photothermal Correlation Tomography for Non-Destructive Evaluation of Manufactured Materials. International Journal of Extreme Manufacturing, 7, 035601, 2025. Link
Pengfei Zhu, et al. THz-Super-Resolution Generative Adversarial Network: Deep-Learning-Based Super-Resolution Imaging Using Terahertz Time-Domain Spectroscopy. IEEE Transactions on Industrial Informatics, 21, 6660-6669, 2025. Link
Pengfei Zhu, et al. Contactless and nondestructive evaluation of residual stress distribution in modified and pure HDPE materials using a novel terahertz method and line-scan thermographic technique. Composites Part A: Applied Science and Manufacturing, 183, 108220, 2024. Link

Full publication list: Google Scholar

Applications

Photothermal Coherence Tomography

Impact Damage Evaluation

Residual Stress Measurement

Residual stress measurement

Super-Resolution Imaging

Super-resolution imaging

Selected Honors and Awards

2025–Present: Adolf Martens Fellowship, Germany

2025: FRQNT: Fonds de recherche du Québec – Nature et technologies

2022: NSERC oN DuTy Fellowship, Canada

2022: China Scholarship Council Scholarship

2023: Excellent Thesis of Zhejiang Province, China

2021–2022: Excellent Graduate, Excellent Thesis, Future Star, Research Star of Ningbo University

2020: Second Prize, China Post-Graduate Mathematical Contest in Modeling