Lifeng Wang, PhD

Prof. Lifeng Wang is an Associate Professor in the Department of Mechanical Engineering at Stony Brook University. Prior to joining Stony Brook, he was a postdoctoral associate at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). He received his B.E. degree in 2001 and Ph.D. degree in 2006 in Solid Mechanics from Tsinghua University.

Prof. Wang has authored more than 70 peer-reviewed journal publications and has an h-index of 48 with over 8,600 citations. His research has been featured in numerous media outlets, including MIT Homepage Today’s Spotlight, MIT News, NBC News, Nature News, Material Views, and PhysOrg. Since 2020, he has been recognized in Stanford University’s World’s Top 2% Scientists List.

Education:

• Tsinghua University, Ph.D. & M. S. 2006
• Tsinghua University, B. E. 2001
  
  

Professional Experience:

• Department of Mechanical Engineering, Stony Brook University, 2013 - present

• Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Clarkson University, 2011-2013
• Department of Mechanical Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 2006-2011
  
  

Awards & Publications:

• Recipient of the National Science Award from China’s Ministry of Education 
• Recipient of China’s National Excellent Doctoral Dissertation Award. 
  
  

Professional Memberships & Service:

• Member of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers
• Member of the Society of Engineering Science
• Member of the Materials Research Society
• Member of the American Physical Society

Overview:

Dr. Lifeng Wang’s research lies at the intersection of solid mechanics, materials science, and advanced manufacturing, focusing on how structural architectures at the micro- and nano-scales dictate macro-level material behaviors. By integrating multi-scale materials modeling, computational mechanics, precise characterization, and digital manufacturing, his laboratory engineers next-generation material systems that offer unprecedented mechanical properties and multi-functional performance.

Highlights & Accomplishments:

• Designed Multi-Material 3D Printing of Polymer Composites 
• Developed High Performance and Programmable Architected Metamaterials 
• Studied the Mechanical Behavior of Composite Materials Under Extreme Environmental Conditions
  
  

Research Interests:

• Digital Materials & 3D Printing: Advancing rapid prototyping, multi-material additive manufacturing, and the custom fabrication of structurally complex architectures.
• Mechanical Metamaterials: Designing and analyzing architected materials with anomalous or tailored mechanical properties (such as energy absorption, wave propagation control, and structural stability).

• Biomaterials & Bioinspired Materials: Translating fundamental biological mechanics,such as the wrinkled membrane morphologies of cells, avian eggshell architectures, and multilayered exoskeletons, into biomimetic engineered materials.
• Fiber Networks & Polymer Composites: Investigating the underlying mechanical behaviors, failure mechanisms, and topographies of electrospun polymer fibers, thin films, and reinforced composite networks.