Academic Qualification
Ph.D., Kagoshima University, Japan
Master of Engineering, Lanzhou University of Technology, China
Bachelor of Engineering, Huazhong University of Science and Technology (HUST), China
Teaching Area
Software-Defined Radio and Network
Data Structure and Algorithm Design
Digital Signal Processing
Principles of Communication
The Frontier Topics in Artificial Intelligence
Data Logic for Smart City Development
Research Area
Cognitive Radio & Networks
Artificial Intelligence
Machine Learning
Internet of Intelligence (IoI)
Agentic AI and Intelligent Computing
Network GPT and Wireless LLMs
Network Slicing
Semantic Communications
Green Communications
Professional Services
Associate Editor-in-Chief, China Communication, China Institute of Communications (CIC), since 2014
Working Experience
September 2025 - present, Professor, School of Computer Science and Engineering, Faculty of Innovation Engineering, Macau University of Science and Technology (MUST)
November 2024 - June 2025, Professor, Faculty of Data Science, City University of Macau
April 2022 - May 2025, Adjunct Professor, College of Information Science & Electronic Engineering, Zhejiang University
April 2022 - April 2024, Chief Managing Editor, Intelligent Computing (a Science Partner Journal), Zhejiang Lab
March 2008 - March 2022, Professor, College of Information Science and Electronic Engineering, Zhejiang University
September 2004 - Feb. 2008, Principle Research Scientist, CREATE-NET, Italy
December 2002 - August 2004, Expert Research Fellow, Yokosuka Radio Communications Research Center, National Institute of Information and Communications Technology (NICT), Japan
April 2002 - November 2002, Researcher, TOYOTA InfoTechnnology (IT) Centre, Japan
October 1999 - March 2002, Research Fellow, Shin-Kawasaki Research Centre (SKRC), Telecommunications Advancement Organization (TAO) of Japan
Academic Publication (selected)
1. Jian Li, Ying Chen, Rongpeng Li, Zhifeng Zhao, and Honggang Zhang, “Study on Base Station Topology in National Cellular Networks: Take Advantage of Alpha Shapes, Betti Numbers, and Euler Characteristics,” IEEE Systems Journal, June 2019.
2. Ying Chen, Rongpeng Li, Zhifeng Zhao, and Honggang Zhang, “Fundamentals on Base Stations in Urban Cellular Networks: From the Perspective of Algebraic Topology,” IEEE Wireless Communications Letters, April 2019.
3. Rongpeng Li, Zhiefeng Zhao, Yi Zhong, Chen Qi, and Honggang Zhang, “The Stochastic Geometry Analyses of Cellular Networks with alpha-Stable Self-Similarity,” IEEE Trans. Communications, March 2019.
4. Yuxiu Hua, Zhifeng Zhao, Rongpeng Li, Xianfu Chen, Zhiming Liu, and Honggang Zhang, “Deep Learning with Long Short-Term Memory for Time Series Prediction,” IEEE Communications Magazine, March 2019.
5. Xianfu Chen, Zhifeng Zhao, Celimuge Wu, Mehdi Bennis, Hang Liu, Yusheng Ji, and Honggang Zhang, “Multi-Tenant Cross-Slice Resource Orchestration: A Deep Reinforcement Learning Approach,” IEEE JSAC (Special Issue on Machine Learning in Wireless Communications), October 2019.
6. Xing Xu, Zhifeng Zhao, Rongpeng Li, and Honggang Zhang, “Brain-Inspired Stigmergy Learning,” IEEE Access, April 2019.
7. Chen Qi, Yuxiu Hua, Rongpeng Li, Zhifeng Zhao, and Honggang Zhang, “Deep Reinforcement Learning with Discrete Normalized Advantage Functions for Resource Management in Network Slicing,” IEEE Communications Letters, June 2019.
8. Rongpeng Li, Chujie Wang, Zhifeng Zhao, Rongbin Guo, and Honggang Zhang, “The LSTM-based Advantage Actor-Critic Learning for Resource Management in Network Slicing with User Mobility,” IEEE Communications Letters, June 2020.
9. Rongpeng Li, Zhifeng Zhao, Xing Xu, Fei Ni, and Honggang Zhang, “The Collective Advantage for Advancing Communications and Intelligence,” IEEE Wireless Communications, June 2020.
10. Ying Chen, Rongpeng Li, Zhifeng Zhao, and Honggang Zhang, “On the Capacity of Fractal D2D Social Networks with Hierarchical Communications,” IEEE Trans. Mobile Computing, February 2020.
11. Xianfu Chen, Celimuge Wu, Tao Chen, Honggang Zhang, Zhi Liu, Yan Zhang, and Mehdi Bennis, “Age of Information-Aware Radio Resource Management in Vehicular Networks: A Proactive Deep Reinforcement Learning Perspective,” IEEE Trans. Wireless Communications, April 2020.
12. Yuxiu Hua, Rongpeng Li, Zhifeng Zhao, Xianfu Chen, and Honggang Zhang, “GAN-powered Deep Distributional Reinforcement Learning for Resource Management in Network Slicing,” IEEE JSAC (Special Issue on Leveraging Machine Learning in SDN/NFV-based Networks), February 2020.
13. Xing Xu, Rongpeng Li, Zhifeng Zhao, and Honggang Zhang, “Stigmergic Independent Reinforcement Learning for Multi-Agent Collaboration,” IEEE Trans. Neural Networks & Learning Systems (TNNLS), January 2021.
14. Minhao Chen, Rongpeng Li, Jon Crowcroft, Jianjun Wu, Zhifeng Zhao, and Honggang Zhang, “RAN Information-assisted TCP Congestion Control Using Deep Reinforcement Learning with Reward Redistribution,” IEEE Transactions on Communications, October 2021.
15. Yan Shao, Rongpeng Li, B. Hu, Y. Wu, Zhifeng Zhao, and Honggang Zhang, “Graph Attention Network-based Multi-agent Reinforcement Learning for Slicing Resource Management in Dense Cellular Network,” IEEE Trans. Vehicular Technology, August 2021.
16. Qingyang Zhou, Rongpeng Li, Zhifeng Zhao, Chenghui Peng, and Honggang Zhang, “Semantic Communication with Adaptive Universal Transformer,” IEEE Wireless Communications Letters, December 2021.
17. Xianfu Chen, Celimuge Wu, Tao Chen, Zhi Liu, Honggang Zhang, Mehdi Bennis, Hang Liu, and Yusheng Ji, “Information Freshness-Aware Task Offloading in Air-Ground Integrated Edge Computing Systems,” IEEE JSAC (Series on Machine Learning in Communications and Networks), November 2021.
18. Xing Xu, Rongpeng Li, Zhifeng Zhao, and Honggang Zhang, “Trustable Policy Collaboration Scheme for Multi-Agent Stigmergic Reinforcement Learning,” IEEE Communications Letters, January 2022.
19. Qingyang Zhou, Rongpeng Li, Zhifeng Zhao, Yong Xiao, and Honggang Zhang, “Adaptive Bit Rate Control in Semantic Communication with Incremental Knowledge-based HARQ,” IEEE Open Journal of the Communications Society, July 2022.
20. Kun Lu, Qingyang Zhou, Rongpeng Li, Zhifeng Zhao, Xianfu Chen, Jianjun Wu, and Honggang Zhang, “Rethinking Modern Communication from Semantic Coding to Semantic Communication,” IEEE Wireless Communications, May 2022.
21. Jianhang Zhu, Rongpeng Li, Guoru Ding, Chan Wang, Jianjun Wu, Zhifeng Zhao, and Honggang Zhang, “AoI-based Temporal Attention Graph Neural Network for Popularity Prediction and Content Caching,” IEEE Trans. on Cognitive Communications and Networking, December 2022.
22. Yuntao Liu, D. Li, Rongpeng Li, Zhifeng Zhao, Y. Zhu, and Honggang Zhang, “Secure and Efficient Stigmergy-Empowered Blockchain Framework for Heterogeneous Collaborative Services in the Internet of Vehicles,” IEEE Communications Magazine, January 2023.
23. Zhilin Lu, Rongpeng Li, Kun Lu, Xianfu Chen, Ekram Hossain, Zhifeng Zhao, and Honggang Zhang, “Semantics-Empowered Communications: A Tutorial-cum-Survey,” IEEE Communications Surveys & Tutorials, November 2023.
24. Xing Xu, Rongpeng Li, Zhifeng Zhao, and Honggang Zhang, “The Gradient Convergence Bound of Federated Multi-Agent Reinforcement Learning with Efficient Communication,” IEEE Trans. on Wireless Communications, June 2023.
25. Baidi Xiao, Rongpeng Li, Fei Wang, Chenghui Peng, Jianjun Wu, Zhifeng Zhao, and Honggang Zhang, “Stochastic Graph Neural Network-based Value Decomposition for MARL in Internet of Vehicles,” IEEE Trans. on Vehicular Technology Sept. 2023.
26. Bingyan Wang, Rongpeng Li, Jianhang Zhu, Zhifeng Zhao, and Honggang Zhang, “Knowledge Enhanced Semantic Communication Receiver,” IEEE Communications Letters, May 2023.
27. Yuxuan Chen, Rongpeng Li, Zhifeng Zhao, Chenghui Peng, Jianjun Wu, Ekram Hossain, and Honggang Zhang, “NetGPT: An AI-Native Network Architecture for Provisioning Beyond Personalized Generative Services,” IEEE Network, March 2024.
28. Yuntao Liu, Q. Huang, Rongpeng Li, Xianfu Chen, Zhifeng Zhao, S. Zhao, Y. Zhu, and Honggang Zhang, “Select2Col: Leveraging Spatial-Temporal Importance of Semantic Information for Efficient Collaborative Perception,” IEEE Trans. on Vehicular Technology, April 2024.
29. Zhilin Lu, Rongpeng Li, Ming Lei, Chan Wang, Zhifeng Zhao, and Honggang Zhang, “Self-critical Alternate Learning-based Semantic Broadcast Communication,” IEEE Trans. on Communications, November 2024.
30. Siyu Tong, Xiaoxue Yu, Rongpeng Li, Kun Lu, Zhifeng Zhao, and Honggang Zhang, “Alternate Learning-based Sparse Semantic Communications for Visual Transmission,” IEEE Trans. on Wireless Communications, December 2024.
31. Yuntao Liu, Qian Huang, Rongpeng Li, Zhifeng Zhao, Shuyuan Zhao, Yuan Liu, Yongdong Zhu, and Honggang Zhang, “Semantic Communication Empowered Collaborative Perception in Constrained Networks,” IEEE Wireless Communications Letters, March 2025.
32. Xianfu Chen, Zhifeng Zhao, Shiwen Mao, Celimuge Wu, Honggang Zhang, and Mehdi Bennis, “Age of Semantics in Cooperative Communications: To Expedite Simulation Towards Real via Offline Reinforcement Learning,” IEEE Trans. on Network Science and Engineering, July-Aug. 2025.
33. Xiaoxue Yu, Xingfu Yi, Rongpeng Li, Fei Wang, Chenghui Peng, Zhifeng Zhao, and Honggang Zhang, “Snake Learning: A Communication- and Computation-Efficient Distributed Learning Framework for 6G,” IEEE Communications Magazine, May 2025.
34. Xianfu Chen, Celimuge Wu, Yi Shen, Yusheng Ji, Tsutomu Yoshinaga, Qiang Ni, Charilaos C Zarakovitis, and Honggang Zhang, “Communication and Control Co-Design in 6G: Sequential Decision-Making with LLMs,” IEEE Network, July 2025.
35. Yuming Xiang, Sizhao Li, Rongpeng Li, Zhifeng Zhao, and Honggang Zhang, “Decentralized Consensus Inference-based Hierarchical Reinforcement Learning for Multi-Constrained UAV Pursuit-Evasion Game,” IEEE Trans. on Neural Networks and Learning Systems (TNNLS), July 2025.
Research Grants
01/2018 - 12/2022 Research on the Resource Usage of Wireless Edge Networks Based on User Behavior Prediction, National Natural Science Foundation of China (NSFC).
01/2014 - 12/ 2017 Software Defined Network Technologies and Applications, Zhejiang Key Research and Development Plan Grant, No. 2013TD20.
01/2012 - 12/2016 Fundamental Research on the Energy and Resource Optimized Hyper-Cellular Mobile Communication System, National Basic Research Program of China (973 Program), No. 2012CB316000.
01/2013 - 12/2015 Fundamental Research on Cognitive Green Communications, Key Project of Chinese Ministry of Education (MOE).
01/2011 - 12/2013 Design and Optimization of Wireless Cognitive Mesh Networks (CogMesh) with Adaption to Networks Heterogeneity and Integration, National Natural Science Foundation of China (NSFC).
Patents
U.S. Patent 11,452,077 B2, Wireless Network Resource Allocation Method Employing Generative Adversarial Reinforcement Learning.
Professional Certification and Awards
IEEE Communications Society Outstanding Paper Award, (Xianfu Chen, Honggang Zhang, C. Wu, S. Mao, Y. Ji, and M. Bennis, “Optimized Computation Offloading Performance in Virtual Edge Computing Systems via Deep Reinforcement Learning,” IEEE Internet of Things Journal, June 2019), 2021.
IEEE Internet of Things Journal Best Paper Award, (Xianfu Chen, Honggang Zhang, C. Wu, S. Mao, Y. Ji, and M. Bennis, “Optimized Computation Offloading Performance in Virtual Edge Computing Systems via Deep Reinforcement Learning,” IEEE Internet of Things Journal, June 2019), 2021.
International Chair Professor of Excellence, CominLabs Excellence Center, Université Européenne de Bretagne (UEB) & Supelec, France, 2012-2014.
Honorary Visiting Professor, University of York, UK, 2010-2018.
Outstanding Leadership Award, IEEE Computer Society, ACM, and IEEE TCSC (IEEE Technical Committee on Scalable Computing). Citation: “for Outstanding Contribution as the General Chair of the 2010 IEEE/ACM International Conference on Green Computing and Communications (GreenCom 2010)”, 2011.
Member, European Research Council (ERC) Starting Grant Panel (ERC Starting Grant Panel PE7: Systems and Communication Engineering), 2019, 2021, 2023 & 2025.
Professional Society Membership
Fellow, IEEE (Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers), “for contributions to intelligent wireless communications and networks”.
Fellow, AAIA (Asia-Pacific Artificial Intelligence Association).
Fellow, AIIA (International Artificial Intelligence Industry Alliance).
Chair, Technical Committee on Cognitive Networks (TCCN), IEEE Communications Society, 2011-2012.
