Principle investigator
Xueju "Sophie" Wang, Ph.D.
Associate Professor, Materials Science and Engineering, Institute of Materials Science, University of Connecticut
Email: [email protected]
Postdoc fellow, Materials Science and Engineering, Northwestern University (Sept. 2016-July 2018)
Ph.D. Mechanical Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology (Aug. 2016)
M.S. Mechanical Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology (Aug. 2016)
B.E., Chemical Engineering, Dalian University of Technology (June 2011)
B.A., English, Dalian University of Technology (June 2011)
Faculty profile: https://mse.engr.uconn.edu/xueju-sophie-wang
Awards:
2026 J. W. Dally Young Investigator Award
2024 ONR Young Investigator Award
2022 Extreme Mechanics Letters (EML) Young Investigator Award
2022 NIH Trailblazer Award
2022 PMSE Young Investigator Award
2022 NSF Career Award
2021 ASME Orr Early Career Award
2019 ASME Haythornthwaite Foundation Research Initiation Award
2019 1907 Women in Engineering Faculty Award, University of Missouri
2019 Richard Wallace Faculty Incentive Grant Award, University of Missouri
2016 Gary L. Cloud Scholarship Award, Society for Experimental Mechanics
Associate Professor, Materials Science and Engineering, Institute of Materials Science, University of Connecticut
Email: [email protected]
Postdoc fellow, Materials Science and Engineering, Northwestern University (Sept. 2016-July 2018)
Ph.D. Mechanical Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology (Aug. 2016)
M.S. Mechanical Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology (Aug. 2016)
B.E., Chemical Engineering, Dalian University of Technology (June 2011)
B.A., English, Dalian University of Technology (June 2011)
Faculty profile: https://mse.engr.uconn.edu/xueju-sophie-wang
Awards:
2026 J. W. Dally Young Investigator Award
2024 ONR Young Investigator Award
2022 Extreme Mechanics Letters (EML) Young Investigator Award
2022 NIH Trailblazer Award
2022 PMSE Young Investigator Award
2022 NSF Career Award
2021 ASME Orr Early Career Award
2019 ASME Haythornthwaite Foundation Research Initiation Award
2019 1907 Women in Engineering Faculty Award, University of Missouri
2019 Richard Wallace Faculty Incentive Grant Award, University of Missouri
2016 Gary L. Cloud Scholarship Award, Society for Experimental Mechanics
Postdoc
Dr. Caroline Ferguson
Dr. Changhee Son (co-advised by Dr. Yi Zhang)
Dr. Caroline Ferguson
Dr. Changhee Son (co-advised by Dr. Yi Zhang)
Ph.D. students
Beige Xi
08/2025-present: PhD student, Biomedical Engineering, University of Connecticut
M.S., Electrical Engineering, Northwestern University
B.S., Electrical Engineering, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute
08/2025-present: PhD student, Biomedical Engineering, University of Connecticut
M.S., Electrical Engineering, Northwestern University
B.S., Electrical Engineering, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute
Mei Shao
08/2025-present: PhD student, Biomedical Engineering, University of Connecticut
B.S., Biopharmaceutics, Wuhan University of Technology
08/2025-present: PhD student, Biomedical Engineering, University of Connecticut
B.S., Biopharmaceutics, Wuhan University of Technology
Zizheng Wang
01/2020-present: PhD student, Materials Science and Engineering, University of Connecticut
B.S., Materials Science and Engineering, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
Award: Frist Place Winner of the 2022 Graduate Elevator Pitch Competition
Publications (1st author): ACS AMI, 2022;
01/2020-present: PhD student, Materials Science and Engineering, University of Connecticut
B.S., Materials Science and Engineering, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
Award: Frist Place Winner of the 2022 Graduate Elevator Pitch Competition
Publications (1st author): ACS AMI, 2022;
Shao-Hao (Charles) Lu
08/2021-present: PhD student, Materials Science and Engineering, University of Connecticut
M.S., Chemical and Materials Engineering, Chang Gung University
B.S., Chemical and Materials Engineering, Chang Gung University
Publications (1st author): Journal of Materials Chemistry B, 2023; Sensors and Actuators Report, 2022
08/2021-present: PhD student, Materials Science and Engineering, University of Connecticut
M.S., Chemical and Materials Engineering, Chang Gung University
B.S., Chemical and Materials Engineering, Chang Gung University
Publications (1st author): Journal of Materials Chemistry B, 2023; Sensors and Actuators Report, 2022
Undergraduate researchers
Dar Jankovic (06/2025-present)
Sam Beauchemin (01/2025-05/2025)
Yuan-Jen Kuo (08/2023-present)
Matthew Francoeur (02/2024-08/2024)
Shelby Dubitsky (01/2024-05/2024)
Camille Martinez (08/2021-12/2021)
Martin Birnbach (06/2021-05/2022)
Pablo Zarama (06/2021-05/2022, McNair scholar)
Gina Parlato (summer 2021); received the 2022 Undergraduate Outstanding Research Award
Dar Jankovic (06/2025-present)
Sam Beauchemin (01/2025-05/2025)
Yuan-Jen Kuo (08/2023-present)
Matthew Francoeur (02/2024-08/2024)
Shelby Dubitsky (01/2024-05/2024)
Camille Martinez (08/2021-12/2021)
Martin Birnbach (06/2021-05/2022)
Pablo Zarama (06/2021-05/2022, McNair scholar)
Gina Parlato (summer 2021); received the 2022 Undergraduate Outstanding Research Award
Alumni
Yi Li (PhD student, 08/2019-08/2023; postdoc, 10/2023-10/2024; current position: Associate Professor, Mechanical Engineering, Dalian University of Technology)
Gina Parlaro (undergraduate, 04/2021-08/2021; current position: Materials Engineer at General Dynamics Electric Boat)
Tejas Adak (MS, 09/2018-08/2020; current position: engineer at Spectrum Plastics Group)
Ian Heck (MS, 10/2019-10/2021; current position: engineer at Johnson & Johnson)
Yi Li (PhD student, 08/2019-08/2023; postdoc, 10/2023-10/2024; current position: Associate Professor, Mechanical Engineering, Dalian University of Technology)
Gina Parlaro (undergraduate, 04/2021-08/2021; current position: Materials Engineer at General Dynamics Electric Boat)
Tejas Adak (MS, 09/2018-08/2020; current position: engineer at Spectrum Plastics Group)
Ian Heck (MS, 10/2019-10/2021; current position: engineer at Johnson & Johnson)