Each week, Cleveland State University will profile new faculty members with a “getting to know you” feature called ProfTALK. Learn about your prof’s background, bona fides and how they contribute to the momentum of Engaged Learning. Then get behind the desk and learn a little more about what makes them tick. This week, we careen from engineering to supply chain and business operations! Meet Tianyun Zhang, Ph.D. and Theunis Christoffel (T.C.) Robberts, Ph.D.!

Engineering EE&CS Assistant Professor Tianyun Zhang, Ph.D.

Ph.D., Electrical and Computer Engineering, Syracuse University (2021)

M.S., Electrical Engineering, Syracuse University (2015 transfer to Ph.D. program)

B.E., Optoelectronic Information Engineering, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, China (2015)

Dr. Zhang’s studies in electrical and computer engineering research include digital logic design, model compression on deep neural networks; energy-efficient and high-performance implementations of deep learning and artificial intelligence systems, adversarial robustness on artificial intelligence systems, and convex and non-convex optimizations. He employs many mathematical optimization techniques on the research of deep learning. He proposes to solve the weight pruning problem on deep neural networks using alternating direction method of multipliers (ADMM). He also proposes a unified min-max optimization framework on robust learning over multiple domains. The ADMM-based weight pruning framework for deep neural networks, proposed in his work, is a state-of-the-art model of compression method.

What three words come to mind when you think of Cleveland State University?

Friendly, energetic, creative.

What is a common question you get from Cleveland State University students?

“What topics will be covered in the exam?”

What do you like most about teaching and why?

Communication. Because I enjoy communicating with young people.

What do you like to do in your spare time?

Playing basketball, hiking.

Where is your favorite place in Cleveland and why?

Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse, because I like to watch NBA games there.

What is a “fun fact” about you that many people may not know about you?

I completed my Ph.D. degree and got the job at CSU without leaving my apartment.

What is your personal motto/mantra/axiom?

It always seems impossible until it’s done. You can do it.

 

Business Operations and Supply Chain Management Visiting College Lecturer Theunis Christoffel (T.C.) Robberts, Ph.D.

Ph.D., Business Administration, Northcentral University (2017)

M.B.A., Business Administration, Baker College (2008)

Masters Diploma, Food Technology, Cape Technokon, Cape Town, South Africa (1991)

National Higher Diploma, Food Technology, Cape Technikon, Cape Town, South Africa (1984)

National Higher Diploma, Post School Education, Cape Technikon, Cape Town, South Africa (1981)

Dr. Robberts teaches business statistics and comes to Cleveland State University having been steeped in food technology and manufacturing management with University of Minnesota Crookston, Technikon Witwatersrand, the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research, National Chemical Laboratory and De Beers Industrial Diamonds. He logged professional service with the U.S. Economic Development Administration and has served in university roles ranging from Chair of University curriculum; as a member of the online quality committee, and as a faculty advisor for student council and the Black student association. Dr. Robberts’ research interests include developing trend lines for stocks traded on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) to determine buy, sell, hold positions.

What three words come to mind when you think of Cleveland State University?

Superb. Downtown. Location.

What is a common question you get from Cleveland State University students?

I am new to the campus and students ask questions about my research.

What do you like most about teaching and why?

I love to teach difficult quantitative content and get great satisfaction when the students finally realize it is not difficult at all.

What do you like to do in your spare time?

I grow bonsai trees, tinker with old wind-up phonographs, and finish the odd painting.

Where is your favorite place in Cleveland and why?

The Cleveland Museum of Art has a very good collection and keeps getting short-time exhibitions.

What is a “fun fact” about you that many people may not know about you?

I helped to develop diamonds for De Beers and did many years of beer research. This photo is of me in the Heineken brewery in the Netherlands.

What is your personal motto/mantra/axiom?

Nothing is impossible, it just takes a bit longer to find a solution.