Curriculum Vitae of Zhigang Suo

(last updated 21 February 2009)

School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA
email: suo@seas.harvard.edu
homepage: http://www.seas.harvard.edu/suo
phone: 617-495-3789
fax: 617-496-0601

birth: 15 June 1963, Xi'an, The People's Republic of China.
citizenship: The People's Republic of China (1963-1996). The United States of America (1996-present).
married with Denian Zhuang since 1986.
2 children (Daniel, born 1988, Boston; Michael, born 1993, Santa Barbara).
see photos for members of family and research group.

NARRATIVE

Zhigang Suo is Allen E. and Marilyn M. Puckett Professor of Mechanics and Materials at Harvard University. He earned a bachelor degree from Xi'an Jiaotong University in 1985, majoring in Engineering Mechanics. Upon earning a Ph.D. degree in Engineering Science from Harvard University, in 1989, Suo joined the faculty of the University of California at Santa Barbara, and established a group studying the mechanics of materials and structures. The group moved to Princeton University in 1997, and to Harvard University in 2003.

Suo teaches courses in solid mechanics and applied mathematics. His research centers on the mechanical behavior of materials and structures. Basic processes include fracture, deformation, polarization, and mass transport, driven by various thermodynamic forces (e.g., stress, electric field, electron wind, chemical potential). Applications are concerned with microelectronics, large-area electronics, and active materials. Representative work includes

swelling elestomers (paper 200)
electroactive polymers (paper 188)
rupture of metal films on polymer substrates (paper 201)
self-assembled nanostructures on solid surfaces (paper 150)
ratcheting plastic deformation in thin film structures (paper 118)
motion of microscopic surfaces in materials (paper 66)
electromigration (paper 75)
ferroelectric ceramics (paper 23)
interfacial fracture mechanics (paper 17)

With Teng Li, Suo co-founded iMechanica, the web of mechanics and mechanicians. iMechanica now has over 11,500 registered users and over 12,000 entries. He is a member of the Executive Committee (2005-2010) of the Applied Mechanics Division, of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME), and is a member at large of the US National Committee on Theoretical and Applied Mechanics (2006-1010).

Suo won the Pi Tau Sigma Gold Medal and the Special Achievement Award for Young Investigators in Applied Mechanics, both from ASME. He is a member of the US National Academy of Engineering.

For further information see

Citation metrics of Suo's scientific papers
Blog entries and comments on research in the Group
Current members of the Group
Homepage

EDUCATION
September 1986 - May 1989, Graduate School, Harvard University, Cambridge, USA.
September 1985 - July 1986, Graduate School, Jiaotong University, Xi'an, China.
September 1981 - July 1985, College, Jiaotong University, Xi'an, China.
September 1976 - July 1981, High School, 83rd High School, Xi'an, China.
January 1970 - July 1976, Affiliated Elementary School of Jiaotong University, Xi'an, China. DEGREES PhD, June 1989, Harvard University.
MS, June 1987, Harvard University.
BS, June 1985, Xi'an Jiaotong University. EMPLOYMENT

July 2006 - present, Allen E. and Marilyn M. Puckett Professor of Mechanics and Materials, School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, Harvard University.
July 2003 - July 2006, Gordon McKay Professor of Mechanics and Materials, Division of Engineering and Applied Sciences, Harvard University.
July 1997 - June 2003, Professor, Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Department and Princeton Materials Institute, Princeton University.
July 1995 - June 1997, Professor, Mechanical and Environmental Engineering Department and Materials Department, The University of California, Santa Barbara.
June-December 1994, Visiting scientist, Max-Planck-Institute, Stuttgart.
December 1993 - June 1997, Joint Appointment, Materials Department, The University of California, Santa Barbara.
July 1992, Visiting Associate Professor, Brown University.
July 1992 - June 1995, Associate Professor, Mechanical and Environmental Engineering Department, The University of California, Santa Barbara.
September 1989 - June 1992, Assistant Professor, Mechanical and Environmental Engineering Department, The University of California, Santa Barbara.
June - September 1989, Post-Doctoral Research Fellow, Harvard University.
June 1985 - August 1986, Post-Graduate Researcher, Xi'an Jiaotong University.

RESEARCH INTERESTS

Solid mechanics and thermodynamics, and their applications in technologies.
Fracture, deformation and mass transport.
Mechanics of soft active materials (SAMs), such as dielectric elastomers and polymeric gels.
Mechanical behavior of micro devices and interconnect structures.
Mechanics of flexible electronics.
Evolving material structures of small feature sizes.
Configurational forces in nanostructures. Self-assembly.
Ferroelectric ceramics.
Anisotropic elasticity

PUBLICATIONS

PDF files of journal papers are available at http://www.deas.harvard.edu/suo/publications.html
Citation metrics by ReseracherID: http://www.researcherid.com/rid/B-1067-2008

BOOKS

Thin Films Stresses and Mechanical Properties X. Materials Research Society Symposium Proceedings, Vol. 795, Edited by Sean G. Corcoran, Young-Chang Joo, Neville R. Moody, Zhigang Suo, 2003.
Materials Reliability in Microelectronics VII, Materials Research Society Symposium Proceedings, Vol. 473, Edited by J.J. Clement, R.R. Keller, K.S. Krisch, J.E. Sanchez, and Z. Suo, 1997.

PATENTS

Sigurd Wagner, Stephanie Lacour, Zhigang Suo. Stretchable and elastic interconnects. United States Patent 7,491,892.

TEACHING NOTES
ES 240 Solid Mechanics, http://imechanica.org/node/203
ES 241 Advanced Elasticity, http://imechanica.org/node/725
ES 242r Spring 2007 Fracture Mechanics of Thin Films and Composite Materials, http://imechanica.org/node/754
ES 242r, Spring 2004 Evolving Small Structures, http://imechanica.org/node/4868
Notes on Statistical Thermodynamics, http://imechanica.org/node/288 AWARDS AND HONORS

Midwest Mechanics Seminar (2008/2009).
Member, the US National Academy of Engineering (elected 2008).
Zhu Kezhen Distinguished Lecturer, American Zhu Kezhen Education Foundation, 2008.
South West Mechanics Lecture Series (SWMLS), 2006.
Special Achievement Award for Young Investigators in Applied Mechanics, Applied Mechanics Division, American Society of Mechanical Engineers, 2001.
Eric Reissner Medal, International Conference on Computational Engineering and Science, 2000.
Award for Excellence in Teaching, Engineering Council, Princeton University, 1999, 2000.
Pi Tau Sigma Gold Medal, American Society of Mechanical Engineers, 1994.
Alexander von Humboldt Research Fellow, Germany, 1994.
Young Investigator Award, National Science Foundation, 1992.
Research Initiation Award, National Science Foundation, 1990.

PROFESSIONAL SOCIETIES
American Society of Mechanical Engineers, Member 1990-, elected Fellow 2004-.
Materials Research Society, Member 1994-.
PROFESSIONAL ACTIVITIES

NSF proposal review pannel, 19 December 2008.
Elected US delegate to ICTAM 2008 in Adelaide, Australia.
Member, Scientific Advisory Board, Institute of High Performance Computing, Singapore, 2007 -
Member at large, US National Committee of Theoretical and Applied Mechanics, 1 November 2006 - 31 October 2010.
Co-founder (with Teng Li), iMechanica.org, the web of mechanics and mechanicians, 11 September 2006.
Chair, Gordon Research Conference on Thin Film and Mechanical Behavior, Colby College, Waterville, Maine, 30 July-4 August 2006.
Member, Executive Committee, Applied Mechanics Division, American Society of Mechanical Engineers, 2005-2010.
Member, Scientific Advisory Board, Max-Planck-Institute for Metal Research, Stuttgart. 2002-2008. Second visit: Dec 7, 2004.
Review of the DOE BES Materials and Engineering Physics Program at Los Alamos National Laboratories. 15 and 16 Nov. 2004.
Discussion leader, Gordon Research Conference on Adhesion, 9 August 2004.
Discussion leader, Gordon Research Conference on Thin Film and Small Scale Mechanical Behavior, 21 July 2004.
NSF nanomanufacturing proposal review panel, 12 January 2004.
Organizer (with Sean Corcoran, Young-Chang Joo, Neville Moody), Symposium U: Thin Films-Stresses and Mechanical Properties X. MRS Fall Meeting, 1-5 December 2003. Proceedings vol. 795.
Co-chair, Nanoscale Phenomena Committee, ASME Nanotechnology Institute, 2003-.
Chair (with Michael Kassner and Sia Nemat-Nasser), DOE Workshop on New Directions in Mechanics. 8-10 September 2003. Airlie Center, Warrenton, VA
Member, Scientific Advisory Board, Max-Planck-Institute for Metal Research, Stuttgart. 2002-2008. First visit: 13-15 November 2002.
Chair-Elect, Gordon Conference on Thin Film Mechanical Behavior, 2006; Vice-chair, 2004.
Discussion leader, Gordon Research Conference on Thin Film Mechanical Behavior, 16-21 July 2002.
Chair, Electronic Materials Committee, Materials Division, American Society of Mechanical Engineers, 1999-2002.
Organizer (with Rui Huang), Symposium on Mechanics of Thin Films and Other Small Structures. The 14th U.S. National Congress of Applied Mechanics, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA. (Fourteen 125-minute sessions).
Guest Professor, Shanghai Jiaotong University, July 2001-2004.
Organizer (with Jun He), Symposium on Thermomechanical Stability of Advanced Interconnects, ASME Winter Annual Meeting, New York City, November 2001. (Three 90-minute sessions.)
Organizer (with R. Dauskardt), Symposium on Nanoscale Materials and Structures, ASME Winter Annual Meeting, New York City, November 2001. (Four 90-minute sessions.)
Organizer (with Yiheng Chen and Jun Sun), Workshop of Mechanics and Materials in a New Century, Xian, China, 9-12 July 2001.
Organizer (with Mahyar Dadkhah and Brian Cox), Symposium on Mechanics and Materials for Better Micro Devices and Packages, ASME Winter Meeting, Orlando, Florida. (six 90-minute sessions), November 2000.
Panel for Review of AFOSR Mechanics Research Proposals, National Materials Advisory Board, August 10-11, 2000.
Discussion leader, Gordon Research Conference on Thin Film Mechanical Behavior, 14-19 July 2000.
Advisory Professor, Tongji University, June 2000-.
Adjunct Professor, Xi'an Jiaotong University, May 2000-.
NSF/DARPA Research Initiative Workshop on Sensitive Skin, Arlington Virginia, October 1999.
NSF CAREER Proposal Panel, Mechanics and Materials Program, November 1998.
Member, Executive Committee, Princeton Materials Institute, 1998-2003.
Organizer (with J. Clement, R. Keller, K. Krisch, J. Sanchez), Simposium J: Materials Reliability in Microelectronics VII, Materials Research Society 1997 Spring Meeting, April 1997. MRS Symposium Proceedings Volume 473.
NSF CAREER Proposal Panel, January 1996.
Member, Young Investigator Advisory Committee, NSF Institute of Materials Mechanics, 1992-1995.
Conference Chair (David Marshall, co-chair), The Third Annual Meeting of the NSF Young Investigators in Mechanics and Materials: Structural Evolution in Materials. Rockwell Science Center, Thousand Oaks, California, 11, 12 November 1995.
NSF Proposal Review Panel, June 1993.

JOURNAL EDITORIAL ACTIVITIES
Board Member, Proceedings of the Royal Society A: mathematical, physics and engineering sciences, January 2009-
Editor, International Journal of Applied Mechanics, 2009-
Associate Editor, International Journal of Solids and Structures, 2005-
Consultant Editor, International Journal of Mechanical Engineering Education, 2005-
Associate Editor, ASME Journal of Applied Mechanics, 2003-2009.
Associate Editor, ASME Journal of Electronic Packaging, 2001-2004.
International Advisory Editorial Board, Acta Mechanica Solida Sinica, 2000-
Board of Editors, Computer Modeling in Engineering & Sciences, 2000-
Editorial Board, Engineering Fracture Mechanics, 1997-