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Quan Zhou received the M.Sc. degree in Control Engineering and the Dr.Tech. degree in Automation Technology, both from Tampere University of Technology, Tampere, Finland. He is currently Professor of Automation and leads the Robotic Instruments Group in the Department of Electrical Engineering and Automation, School of Electrical Engineering, at Aalto University, Finland. His research focuses on physical and system-level robotics, with particular emphasis on robotic instruments, platforms, and interaction methods for manipulating small, lightweight, deformable, and otherwise hard-to-handle objects. His work uses diverse physical interaction principles, including mechanical contact, acoustic and airflow fields, magnetic and electromagnetic fields, interfacial forces, and fluidic flows. This interdisciplinary research integrates physics, mechatronics, automation, and machine learning to address challenges in dexterous, parallel, and noncontact manipulation. The work spans fundamental methodologies and practical applications in biomedicine, materials science, and industrial technologies.

Prof. Zhou is the Director of the Master’s Programme in Automation and Electrical Engineering (AEE) at Aalto University and serves as the local coordinator of the EIT Digital Master's Programme in Autonomous Systems. He previously served as Coordinator of the Topic Group on Miniaturized Robotics within the European Robotics Association (euRobotics), led the EU FP7 project FAB2ASM, served as General Chair of the International Conference on Manipulation, Automation and Robotics at Small Scales (MARSS) 2019, and chaired the IEEE Finland Joint Chapter of the Control Systems Society, Robotics and Automation Society, and Systems, Man, and Cybernetics Society. Prof. Zhou was awarded the 2018 Anton Paar Research Award for Instrumental Analytics and Characterization.