Biography
Yue (Luna) Zheng is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Mechanical Engineering and Mechanics at Drexel University as of September 2023. She earned her Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering from the University of California, San Diego. Before joining Drexel, she held postdoctoral positions at the University of Massachusetts - Amherst and the University of Southern California.
Degrees / Education
- Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering, University of California San Diego, 2020
- M.S. in Material Science & Engineering, University of California, San Diego, 2016
- B.S. in Theoretical and Applied Mechanics, Fudan University, 2015
Research Areas
Research Interests
Yue Zheng is interested in the mechanics of soft materials and structures, particularly those responsive to external stimuli. She aims to tackle design and modeling challenges by integrating theory, simulations, and experiments. Her focus extends to applications in next-generation technologies such as soft robotics and personalized health monitoring.
Academic Distinctions
- Haythornthwaite Foundation Research Initiation Grant, 2023
- Rising Stars in Mechanical Engineering, 2022
- Distinguished PhD Student Fellowship at UC San Diego, 2020
- Haythornthwaite Foundation Student Travel Award, 2018
Select Publications
- Zheng, Y., Niloy, I., Celli, P., Tobasco, I., & Plucinsky, P. (2022). A continuum field theory for the deformations of planar kirigami. Physical review letters, 128(20), 208003.
- Li, H. #, Zheng, Y. #, Han, Y. L., Cai, S., & Guo, M. (2021). Nonlinear elasticity of biological basement membrane revealed by rapid inflation and deflation. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 118(11).
- He, Q. #, Zheng, Y.#, Wang, Z., He, X., & Cai, S. (2020). Anomalous Inflation of a Nematic Balloon. Journal of the Mechanics and Physics of Solids, 104013.
- Zheng, Y., Lai, Y., Hu, Y., & Cai, S. (2019). Rayleigh–Taylor instability in a confined elastic soft cylinder. Journal of the Mechanics and Physics of Solids, 131, 221-229.
- Zheng, Y., Hu, Y., & Cai, S. (2018). Contact mechanics of a gel under constrained swelling. Journal of the Mechanics and Physics of Solids, 124, 427-445.
- Zheng, Y., Crosby, A. J., & Cai, S. (2017). Indentation of a stretched elastomer. Journal of the Mechanics and Physics of Solids, 107, 145-159.