Chunfa Zhao received his master's degree in Mechanical Engineering (1998) and doctoral degree in Traffic and Transportation Engineering (2002) from Southwest Jiaotong University (SWJTU), P.R. China. He is currently a full professor of State Key Laboratory of Traction Power at SWJTU, the Deputy Director of Train and Track Research Institute. His main research areas are in maglev vehicle dynamics, railway vehicle-track-bridge interaction, ballasted track mechanical behavior, and service performance. He is a recipient of the New Century Excellent Talents Program of Ministry of Education of China and the Sichuan Provincial Science Fund for Distinguished Young Scholars. He has published over 100 research works, including an academic monograph and over 80 journal papers.