Zhigang Suo

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 diffusion, driven by various thermodynamic forces (e.g., stress, electric field, electron wind, chemical potential). Applications are concerned with microelectronics, large-area electronics, soft materials, active materials, and lithium-ion batteries.

With Teng Li, Suo co-founded iMechanica, the web of mechanics and mechanicians. iMechanica now has over 20,000 registered users. He is a member of the Executive Committee (2005-2010, Chair 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 (2006-2012).

Suo is a recipient of the Humboldt Research Award. He won the Pi Tau Sigma Gold Medal and the Special Achievement Award for Young Investigators in Applied Mechanics, both from ASME. He received the Distinguished Alumni Award from his undergraduate alma mater, Xi'an Jiaotong University. He is a member of the US National Academy of Engineering.