Bio:Wanliang Shan joined the Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering at Syracuse University in July 2019. Before that, he was assistant professor of mechanical engineering at University of Nevada, Reno for five years, after finishing a two-year postdoctoral research fellowship at Department of Mechanical Engineering at Carnegie Mellon University.
Prof. Shan completed his Ph.D. study from Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering at Princeton University in 2012 and graduated with B.E. in thermal science and energy engineering from University of Science and Technology of China in 2006.
His research group currently focuses on interdisciplinary research in smart, hybrid, active and nature-inspired materials, mechanics, and machines. Fundamental insights from solid mechanics, materials engineering, machine learning, and thermal science are emphasized for the design and fabrication of soft multifunctional materials and high-performance robotic mechanisms, which impact critical application domains such as soft robotics and biomedical devices, for the goal of improving human-machine-environment interactions.
Prof. Shan received an NSF CAREER Award for research on tunable adhesion. His research, innovation and educational efforts have been funded by SU UNR and multiple programs at NSF such as National Robotics Initiative, Partnership for Innovation, and Research Experiences for Undergraduates. He is currently serving as associate editor for IEEE Robotics and Automation Letters, and IEEE International Conference on Soft Robotics.