Tianliang Zhang is an electrical engineer specializing in optical networking. With an M.S. and Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering, he has expertise in network protocols, programming languages, and tools. His research focuses on optical network architectures, protocols, and performance optimization. Tianliang has published papers and contributed to projects involving open disaggregated optical networking, network emulation, and cross-layer monitoring. His work aims to advance optical communication systems and improve network efficiency. Tianliang Zhang is currently employed as a Telecommunication Engineer at the University of Texas at Dallas, specifically working in the OpenLab. His role involves designing and implementing automated validation procedures for DWDM transmission equipment, focusing on compliance with OpenROADM MSA standards. He also trains students and collaborates with engineers from leading OEMs.