Zhi-Li Zhang joined the faculty of the Department of Computer Science and Engineering at the University of Minnesota as an Assistant Professor in 1997. He is currently the Qwest Chair Professor in Telecommunications. He was named a Distinguished McKnight University Professor in 2013. Zhang received his M.S. degree (1993) and Ph.D. degree (1997) in computer science from the University of Massachusetts. He served as the Associate Director for Research at the
Digital Technology Center, University of Minnesota from 2015 to 2021.