Dr Lihong Zhang currently teaches Innovation Management, Project Planning and Control, Applied Project Management to MSc programmes and Planning and Resource Management to NTU and Distance Learning Professional Development programmes. His research broadly focuses on Business Model Innovation and Digital Transformation for Future Engineering Projects – to develop Innovation Capabilities through sustained Project Learning.

Before joining University of Manchester Dr Lihong worked with Liverpool Business School for 13 years and Central South University (in China) for ten years. His industrial experiences include China Construction Corp and National Ministry of Mechanical Engineering.

BEng in Mechanical and Electrical Engineering

MEng in Engineering Management

MPhil in Management Studies in International Business Management

PhD in Management Studies in Innovation Management

PG Cert in Teaching and Learning in HE

Fellowship in HEA

Membership in EUROMA

Membership in APM/PMI

Membership in BMC

The world are facing disruptive technologies more than ever before. As such future societies must “cope with” discontinuous innovations. Business model research provides new agenda for managing “future projects”. Younger generation and particularly PM professionals need to prepare for, and lead for the delivery of step changes. Today’s smart technologies, for example, will drive and shape tomorrow’s bio-engineering, space manufacturing and connected transportations.

This research focuses on how project learning (PL) can bring about sustainable product-service systems and responsible business models. PL as a powerful instrument for innovation has been promoted for decades. Examples of PL include use of resources (Huang and Li, 2012), project configuration (Midler and Siberzahn, 2008) and business model transformation (Muro and Turner, 2018; Zhang et al., 2015).

My research interests broadly focus on: Project Design and Implementing of Complex Product-Service System.