In this seminar, I will present my research vision and provide an overview on my group’s past, present, and future research in advanced structures for space, aerial, and underwater vehicles. The primary focus of this presentation will be multifunctional space structures, complemented by concise discussions on our research in bio-inspired aircraft structures and pressure hull designs. I will begin with my long-term vision and overarching goal that I hope to achieve at Illinois. I will then present a comprehensive yet very succinct review of the past and ongoing projects that align with the vision and goal. I plan to select a few representative projects to discuss these efforts in more technical details. I will conclude my talk by summarizing the expertise within my group and future directions we plan to pursue.
About the speaker:
Dr. Xin Ning is a new AE assistant professor, but he is not new to The Grainger College of Engineering. He was a postdoctoral research associate from 2015 to 2018 in the Department of Materials Science and Engineering. Before moving back to UIUC this August, Dr. Ning was an assistant professor at Pennsylvania State University for five years from 2018 to 2023. He earned his MS and PhD in aeronautics from Caltech and a BEng in aircraft design and engineering from Beihang University. He has received the William F. Ballhaus Prize for outstanding doctoral dissertation in aeronautics at Caltech, the Office of Naval Research Young Investigator Award, and the American Society of Mechanical Engineers Haythornthwaite Foundation Research Initiation Award. His group has been supported by AFOSR, NASA, ONR, NSF, and various other external and internal seed grants.
