• Associate Professor, Mechanical Engineering
  • J. Mike Walker ’66 Career Development Professor
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Zheng O'Neill

Educational Background

  • Ph.D., Mechanical Engineering, Oklahoma State University – 2004
  • M.S., Thermal Engineering, Tongji University – 2000

Research Interests

    • Building/HVAC&R energy efficiency
    • Intelligent building controls and optimization
    • Grid-interactive efficient buildings
    • Heat pump technologies
    • Uncertainty quantification in building energy systems
    • Well-being in the built environment

Industry Experience

    • 5 years of industry research experience – Principal Investigator, Staff Research Engineer/Scientist with United Technologies Research Center (UTRC), East Hartford, CT.
    • Two years of industry consulting experience – Energy Analyst with Cimetrics, Boston, MA.

Awards & Honors

  • 2021 IBPSA Fellow
  • 2021 ASHRAE Fellow
  • 2020-2022 Texas A&M J. Mike Walker ’66 Faculty Fellow II
  • 2020 Texas A&M Engineering Genesis Award
  • 2019 ASHRAE Distinguished Service Award
  • 2019 The University of Alabama President’s Faculty Research Award
  • 2018 IBPSA-USA Emerging Contributor Award
  • 2017 ASHRAE Innovative Research Grant (IRG) Award
  • 2016 Educator of the Year, from ASHRAE Birmingham Chapter
  • 2015 DOE IAC Junior Faculty Research Award
  • 2010 United Technologies Research Center Outstanding Achievement Award

Selected Publications

  • Fu, Y., Z.D. O’Neill, Z. Yang, V. Adetola, J. Wen, L. Ren, T. Wagner, Q. Zhu and T. Wu. 2021. Modeling and Evaluation of Cyber-Attacks on Grid-Interactive Efficient Buildings. Applied Energy. 303 (2021): 117639. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apenergy.2021.117639
  • Lu, X. , V. Adetola and Z. D. O’Neill. 2021. What Are The Impacts on the HVAC system When It Provides Frequency Regulation? – A Comprehensive Case Study with a Multi-Zone Variable Air Volume (VAV) System. Energy and Buildings. 243(2021): 110995 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.enbuild.2021.110995
  • Pang, Z. , Y. Chen, J. Zhang, Z.D. O’Neill, H. Cheng, and B. Dong. 2020. How Much HVAC Energy Could Be Saved from the Occupant-Centric Smart Home Thermostat: A Nationwide Simulation Study. Applied Energy. (2020): 116251. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apenergy.2020.116251
  • O’Neill, Z.D. , Y. Li , H. Cheng, X. Zhou and S. Taylor. 2019. Energy Savings and Ventilation Performance from CO2-based Demand Controlled Ventilation: Simulation Results from ASHRAE RP-1747. (ASHRAE RP-1747). Science and Technology for the Built Environment. 26 (2): 257-281. https://doi.org/10.1080/23744731.2019.1620575
  • Eisenhower, B., Z.D. O’Neill, S. Narayanan, V. A. Fonoberov and I. Mezic´. 2012. A Methodology for Meta-model Based Optimization in Building Energy Models. Energy and Buildings. 47:292-302 DOI:10.1016/j.enbuild.2011.12.001.
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