Qiaolun Zhang

Department of Electronics, Information and Bioengineering

Room 031c, Building 20

Via Giuseppe Ponzio, 34 Milano 20133, IT

I am an assistant professor at Politecnico di Milano (PoliMI), Italy. I received my bachelor’s degree from Shanghai Jiao Tong University (SJTU), China. Besides, I received a double master’s degree from SJTU and PoliMI. I obtained my PHD degree with cum laude under supervision of Prof. Massimo Tornatore from Politecnico di Milano. I also worked with Dr. Patricia Layec in Nokia Bell Labs France as an assistant optical networking researcher in 2023. I visited the Quantum Information Team with Prof. Eleni Diamanti and Prof. Frédéric Grosshans in Sorbonne University for 3 months in 2024.

My research interests cover a broad spectrum of topics in resource allocation for communications networks, which a focus on optimization and machine learning approaches. My 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. My research is focused on the following two aspects:

Network for AI | Distributed Training & Distributed Inference Support
- Collective optimization for LLM training
- Edge-Cloud collaborative LLM inference
- Energy efficiency for AI services with satellites
AI for Network | Intelligent Network Optimization and Management
- Multi-agent network management
- AI&Optimization for classical and quantum network design and optimization

We are recruiting research interns. If you are passionate about the intersection of AI and computer networking, don’t hesitate to contact me. I am committed to supporting exceptional individuals like you and helping you achieve your academic and professional goals. Please feel free to reach out via email at qiaolun.zhang@polimi.it :)

news

Jun 26, 2025	I got Springer award from PoliMi!
Mar 20, 2025	One of my first-authored paper on network resiliency is accepted by TNSM!
Jan 13, 2025	I’m happy to share that I received my PhD with Cum Laude!
Dec 06, 2024	One of my first-authored paper about quantum networks is accepted by INFOCOM 2025!
Nov 05, 2024	One of my first-authored paper is accepted by IEEE/OSA JOCN

latest posts

Nov 28, 2024	This will be the blog for my research

selected publications

INFOCOM

Link Configuration for Fidelity-Constrained Entanglement Routing in Quantum Networks

Qiaolun Zhang , Nicola Di Cicco, Memedhe Ibrahimi, and 4 more authors

In IEEE International Conference on Computer Communications, 2025

Bib

@inproceedings{zhang2025LinkConfiguration,
  title = {Link Configuration for Fidelity-Constrained Entanglement Routing in Quantum Networks},
  author = {Zhang, Qiaolun and Di Cicco, Nicola and Ibrahimi, Memedhe and Almeida Júnior, Raul and Gatto, Alberto and Boutaba, Raouf and Tornatore, Massimo},
  booktitle = {IEEE International Conference on Computer Communications},
  year = {2025},
  organization = {IEEE},
}

TNSM

Capacity Sharing for Survivable Virtual Network Mapping against Double-Link Failures (Accepted)

Qiaolun Zhang , Omran Ayoub, Ruikun Wang, and 3 more authors

IEEE Transactions on Network and Service Management, 2025

Bib

@article{qiaolun2025SINC,
  title = {Capacity Sharing for Survivable Virtual Network
  Mapping against Double-Link Failures (Accepted)},
  author = {Zhang, Qiaolun and Ayoub, Omran and Wang, Ruikun and Viadana, Emanuele and Musumeci, Francesco and Tornatore, Massimo},
  journal = {IEEE Transactions on Network and Service Management},
  year = {2025},
  publisher = {IEEE},
}

JSAC

Multi-Failure Localization in High-Degree ROADM-based Optical Networks using Rules-Informed Neural Networks

Ruikun Wang, Qiaolun Zhang^† , Jiawei Zhang, and 6 more authors

IEEE Journal on Selected Areas in Communications, 2025

Bib

@article{ruikun2024FailureLocalization,
  title = {Multi-Failure Localization in High-Degree ROADM-based Optical Networks using Rules-Informed
    Neural Networks},
  author = {Wang, Ruikun and Zhang, Qiaolun and Zhang, Jiawei and Gu, Zhiqun and Ibrahimi, Memedhe and Yu, Hao and Zhang, Bojun and Musumeci, Francesco and Tornatore, Massimo},
  journal = {IEEE Journal on Selected Areas in Communications},
  year = {2025},
  publisher = {IEEE},
}

JOCN

Power-consumption analysis for different IPoWDM network architectures with ZR/ZR+ and long-haul muxponders

Qiaolun Zhang , Annalisa Morea, Patricia Layec, and 3 more authors

IEEE/OSA Journal of Optical Communications and Networking, 2024

Bib

@article{zhang2024power,
  title = {Power-consumption analysis for different IPoWDM network architectures with ZR/ZR+ and long-haul muxponders},
  author = {Zhang, Qiaolun and Morea, Annalisa and Layec, Patricia and Ibrahimi, Memedhe and Musumeci, Francesco and Tornatore, Massimo},
  journal = {IEEE/OSA Journal of Optical Communications and Networking},
  volume = {16},
  number = {12},
  pages = {1189--1203},
  year = {2024},
  publisher = {IEEE},
}

JOCN

DRL-based progressive recovery for quantum-key-distribution networks

Mengyao Li, Qiaolun Zhang^* , Alberto Gatto, and 3 more authors

IEEE/Optica Journal of Optical Communications and Networking, 2024

Bib

@article{li2024drl,
  title = {DRL-based progressive recovery for quantum-key-distribution networks},
  author = {Li, Mengyao and Zhang, Qiaolun and Gatto, Alberto and Bregni, Stefano and Verticale, Giacomo and Tornatore, Massimo},
  journal = {IEEE/Optica Journal of Optical Communications and Networking},
  volume = {16},
  number = {9},
  pages = {E36--E47},
  year = {2024},
  publisher = {Optica Publishing Group},
}

TNSM

Routing, Channel, Key-Rate, and Time-Slot Assignment for QKD in Optical Networks

Qiaolun Zhang , Omran Ayoub, Alberto Gatto, and 3 more authors

IEEE Transactions on Network and Service Management, 2024

Bib

@article{zhang2023routing,
  title = {Routing, Channel, Key-Rate, and Time-Slot Assignment for QKD in Optical Networks},
  author = {Zhang, Qiaolun and Ayoub, Omran and Gatto, Alberto and Wu, Jun and Musumeci, Francesco and Tornatore, Massimo},
  journal = {IEEE Transactions on Network and Service Management},
  volume = {21},
  number = {1},
  pages = {148--160},
  year = {2024},
  publisher = {IEEE},
}

IEEE Commun. Mag.

IC-QKD: An Information-Centric Quantum Key Distribution Network

Qiaolun Zhang , Omran Ayoub, Jun Wu, and 2 more authors

IEEE Communications Magazine, 2023

Bib

@article{zhang2023ic,
  title = {IC-QKD: An Information-Centric Quantum Key Distribution Network},
  author = {Zhang, Qiaolun and Ayoub, Omran and Wu, Jun and Lin, Xi and Tornatore, Massimo},
  journal = {IEEE Communications Magazine},
  volume = {61},
  number = {12},
  pages = {148--154},
  year = {2023},
  publisher = {IEEE},
}

TON

Progressive slice recovery with guaranteed slice connectivity after massive failures

Qiaolun Zhang , Omran Ayoub, Jun Wu, and 3 more authors

IEEE/ACM Transactions on Networking, 2021

Bib

@article{zhang2021progressive,
  title = {Progressive slice recovery with guaranteed slice connectivity after massive failures},
  author = {Zhang, Qiaolun and Ayoub, Omran and Wu, Jun and Musumeci, Francesco and Li, Gaolei and Tornatore, Massimo},
  journal = {IEEE/ACM Transactions on Networking},
  volume = {30},
  number = {2},
  pages = {826--839},
  year = {2021},
  publisher = {IEEE},
}