ProfessorDan Zhao

Professor Zhao’s leadership extends across academic administration, national research governance, and international professional service.

At the University of Canterbury, he serves as Director of the Master of Engineering Studies (MEngSt) programme, which under his stewardship has grown from 9 students in 2018 to 32 in 2026, now contributing approximately NZD 1.5 million annually in tuition revenue. He is a founding member of the UC Space Cluster Steering Group and chaired the Mechanical Engineering Research Committee from 2018 to 2023. He also established and continues as faculty advisor to the University’s student branch of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA) -  the first chartered AIAA branch in the Southern Hemisphere, now serving over 100 students.

Nationally, he contributes to the health of New Zealand’s research system as a member of the Royal Society Te Apārangi Strategic Evaluation Panel and as an assessor for MBIE research funding. These roles support the integrity of public investment in science. He has also contributed to the University’s global standing by nominating international collaborators for QS and Times Higher Education academic reputation surveys.

Internationally, Professor Zhao holds significant editorial leadership positions, including Editor‑in‑Chief of the International Journal of Aerospace Engineering (Wiley) and Associate Editor‑in‑Chief of the Chinese Journal of Aeronautics. He serves as associate editor for leading journals such as AIAA Journal, the Journal of the Acoustical Society of America, Progress in Aerospace Sciences, Journal of Vibration and Acoustics (ASME), Aerospace Science and Technology, and several others. He regularly assesses grant proposals for major funding agencies worldwide, including the European Research Council, the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada, the Israel Science Foundation, and Singapore’s Agency for Science, Technology and Research.

In the broader profession, he has examined PhD theses for universities in New Zealand, Australia, the United Kingdom, China, India, and Singapore, and he serves on the AIAA/CEAS Aeroacoustics Technical Committee, helping to shape international research priorities in environmental noise reduction.

Through these leadership roles, Professor Zhao combines academic leadership with sustained service to the engineering profession, both in Aotearoa New Zealand and globally.