Zhang Hongcai, associate professor at the University of Macau’s (UM) State Key Laboratory of Internet of Things for Smart City (SKL-IOTSC), won the 2025 ENRE (Energy, Natural Resources, and the Environment) Best Publication Award in Natural Resources at the Institute for Operations Research and the Management Sciences (INFORMS)* annual meeting last month, marking the first time the honour has gone to a scholar from a Chinese academic institution, according to a statement by the public university on Monday.
Presented annually to only one paper, the ENRE Best Publication Award in Natural Resources is regarded as one of the most “prestigious international distinctions in operations research and management sciences”, the statement said.
Zhang’s recognition reflects his ongoing interdisciplinary work in intelligent energy systems and sustainable transport, underscoring UM’s progress in green energy and clean mobility research, the statement added.
The award-winning paper, titled “From Curtailed Renewable Energy to Green Hydrogen: Infrastructure Planning for Hydrogen Fuel-Cell Vehicles”, was co-authored by He Long, associate professor at George Washington University, who served as the first author, the statement said, pointing out that Zhang and Qi Wei, associate professor at Tsinghua University, were corresponding authors.
The study introduces a co-planning model that integrates renewable hydrogen production with transport energy systems, aiming to offer theoretical tools aimed at advancing low-carbon coordination between hydrogen mobility and energy networks, the statement said, adding that the paper comes out in Manufacturing & Service Operations Management, a leading journal in the field.
Zhang’s achievement places UM among contributors to global research in energy and transport systems, while marking a milestone for Chinese academia in the INFORMS community, the statement said.
*With almost 12,000 members from around the globe, according to its official website (https://www.informs.org/About-INFORMS/), “INFORMS is the leading international association for professionals in operations research, analytics, management science, economics, behavioural science, statistics, artificial intelligence, data science, applied mathematics, and other relevant fields.”
“Smarter Decisions for a Better World” is the organisation’s motto. The Institute for Operations Research and the Management Sciences (INFORMS) is based in Catonsville, a suburb of Baltimore, in Maryland, US. - MPD
This undated and unlocated handout photo provided by the University of Macau (UM) on Monday shows Zhang Hongcai, associate professor in the public university’s State Key Laboratory of Internet of Things for Smart City (SKL-IOTSC), who won the 2025 ENRE (Energy, Natural Resources, and the Environment ) Best Publication Award in Natural Resources at the annual meeting of the Institute for Operations Research and the Management Sciences (INFORMS) last month.
