Qiaolun Zhang is currently an Assistant Professor at Politecnico di Milano (PoliMI), Italy. He received his Ph.D. (cum laude) in January 2025 at PoliMI. He received his B.Eng. from Shanghai Jiao Tong University (SJTU), China, and a double M.S. degree from SJTU and PoliMI. In 2023, he worked at Nokia Bell Labs France as an assistant optical networking researcher, and in 2024 he was a visiting researcher with the Quantum Information team at Sorbonne University. His research interests cover a broad spectrum of topics in resource allocation for communications networks, which a focus on optimization and machine learning approaches. His research objective is to build a high-performance, green, and intelligent network foundation to support the exponential scaling of AI and the evolution of future communication systems.

His current research is focused on the following two main directions: Network for AI, including distributed training support via collective optimization, edge–cloud collaborative LLM inference, and energy-efficient AI services (e.g., with satellite connectivity); and AI for Network, focusing on intelligent network optimization and management such as multi-agent network control, as well as AI-driven optimization for both classical and quantum network design. More information can be found on his personal website (https://qiaolunzhang.github.io/).