Xiaojia Zhang
University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, IL·Engineering·Early-career
How should a structure be shaped, and what should it be made of, so that it carries loads well, resists breaking, or even changes its behavior on demand? The answer to that question decides how safe, light and sustainable bridges, buildings, aircraft parts and robots can be.
- Fields
Engineering
Materials Science
- Topics
topology optimization
mechanical metamaterials
architected materials
- Grants
- 4 known grants, through Aug 2028
What they work on
- Test whether local constitutive behavior, meaning how a small region of material responds to force, links local structural deformation to global fracture, using theory and simulation of homogeneous, defected and heterogeneous metamaterial networks.
- Find local metamaterial geometries that produce nonlinear responses favoring toughness, using topology optimization and data-driven generative models, and combine them into a multi-scale design pipeline validated by simulation and experiment.
- Relate the geometric features of lattice materials to topological polarization, the property that makes one edge soft and the opposite edge rigid, and use optimization to design lattices with maximal, programmable polarization beyond the kagome lattice.
- Build a multi-material representation and a multi-objective topology optimization framework that places anisotropic bio-based materials such as timber and bamboo alongside conventional materials, balancing structural performance, negative net carbon emissions and material efficiency.
- Prototype optimized carbon-negative structures at desktop and meter scale to validate their predicted performance, and establish pathways for using them in real structural applications.
- Develop a multi-material, multi-physics topology optimization theory to program the load-displacement responses of beams, columns and panels, and use embedded stimuli-responsive materials so that these properties can be tuned by magnetic actuation.
- Prototype and test civil structures with programmed responses and adaptability, using the measurements to examine practical issues and calibrate the optimization theory.
More about the research
The four projects here share one tool: topology optimization, a computational method that searches for the best layout of material within a design space. The projects use it in two settings. One is mechanical metamaterials, materials whose unusual properties come from their internal geometry rather than their chemistry. The other is large civil structures such as beams, columns and panels.
Why it matters
Material fracture threatens safety and causes economic losses in construction, transportation and aerospace, and carbon-intensive building materials add to greenhouse gas emissions. Tougher architected materials could help engineers build safer, more durable parts. Optimized timber-and-bamboo structures could cut the net carbon of buildings. Structures that adapt to hazards could reduce risk in the built environment. Programmable soft boundaries may also benefit protective equipment and soft robots.
Known grants
From NIH and NSF research grants. Labs often have other funding we can't see.
Collaborative Research: A Hierarchical Strategy to Understand and Optimize Fracture Properties of Mechanical Metamaterials
NSF · Sep 2025 – Aug 2028
Collaborative Research: Topology of Shapes, Topology of Waves and Their Interplay in Metamaterials Optimization
NSF · Dec 2024 – Nov 2027
Towards High-Performance and Carbon-Negative Civil Structures with Renewable Bio-Based Materials: A Topology Optimization Approach
NSF · Sep 2023 – Aug 2027
Closest labs
Jun Wang
Santa Clara University, CA·Engineering
Extend the known theoretical limits of the mechanical property space reachable by aperiodic architected cellular material (AACM) units using a computational discovery framework.
Andre Barbosa
Oregon State University, OR·Engineering
Isolate gross shear, net shear, and combined shear-torsion failure modes in lumber-based and veneer-based cross-laminated timber panels, using the Universal Panel Tester's controlled biaxial and twisting loads.
Shu Yang
University of Pennsylvania, PA·Materials Science
Develop biodegradable, self-burying seed carriers for aerial seeding that dig to a protective depth, shielding seeds from animals and harsh conditions to improve sprouting and seedling survival.
The school
University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign: 41 labs on PI Pages, $907M a year on research, 870 research doctorates a year.
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