The Society of Engineering Science (SES) recently announced the recipients of the 2024 SES awards. Professor Zhang Yihui from the School of Aerospace Engineering at Tsinghua University won the James R. Rice Medal.

The award is in recognition of his pioneering work on soft architected materials with unusual mechanical properties, rational three-dimensional (3D) assembly driven by controlled buckling, and reconfigurable 3D mesostructures and electronics.

Zhang’s research focuses on solid mechanics, micro/nanoscale 3D assembly and other related fields. He proposed creative uses of buckling mechanics for micro/nanoscale 3D assembly, and developed theoretical models of postbuckling analyses and inverse design methods of 3D assembly. These developments allowed establishment of a novel assembly methodology for complex 3D micro/nano-structures in a broad range of high-performance materials. Based on this methodology, his group has invented several unusual micro-devices and microrobots with new functionalities and/or capabilities. Zhang has also developed novel design concepts and methods of hierarchically architected soft network materials with biomimetic mechanical properties, which contributed to the development and application of bio-integrated devices.

The James R. Rice Medal, established in 2015 by the SES, is named after Harvard Professor James R. Rice, a renowned mechanician and member of all three major academies of America: American Academy of Arts and Sciences, National Academy of Engineering and National Academy of Sciences.

The medal is awarded annually to a mid-career researcher in the field of engineering sciences who has had a substantial impact in his/her field. At the time of the nomination, eligible candidates must be within 10-20 years of earning their PhD or equivalent degree. Since its establishment, a total of eight scholars have been awarded this prestigious honor.

Editor: Li Han