Bolei Deng
Bolei Deng is an Assistant Professor at the Guggenheim School of Aerospace Engineering at the Georgia Institute of Technology. Graduating with a B.S. in Engineering Mechanics from Zhejiang University in 2016, he later earned his Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering and Material Science from Harvard University in 2021, under the guidance of Prof. Katia Bertoldi. Following this, he undertook a joint postdoctoral position at MIT between the Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory (CSAIL) and the Department of Mechanical Engineering.
His research primarily focuses on employing artificial intelligence for the design and optimization of mechanical metamaterials across various scales. He has a keen interest in understanding and leveraging nonlinear behaviors, including nonlinear dynamics, multistabilities, and fracture. His work spans from developing ultra-strong and tough metamaterials to innovations in robotics, mechanical computing, and physical intelligence.
Professor Deng's teaching interests encompass core aerospace engineering principles, including dynamics, structures, and vibrations, at both undergraduate and graduate levels. He emphasizes integrating theoretical foundations with practical applications to prepare students for advanced study and professional practice. His teaching approach seeks to engage students in problem-solving and critical thinking relevant to aerospace engineering challenges.
Professor Deng's research primarily focuses on employing artificial intelligence for the design and optimization of mechanical metamaterials across various scales. He has a keen interest in understanding and leveraging nonlinear behaviors, including nonlinear dynamics, multistabilities, and fracture. His work spans from developing ultra-strong and tough metamaterials to innovations in robotics, mechanical computing, and physical intelligence.
- B.S., Engineering Mechanics, Zhejiang University, 2016
- Ph.D., Mechanical Engineering and Material Science, Harvard University, 2021
- L Chen, M Fuertes, B Deng, Topological computation by non-Abelian braiding in classical metamaterials, Physical Review Research 7 (2), 023143, 2025
- C Liu, XY Yan, S Li, H Zhang, B Deng, NX Fang, Y Habibi, SC Chen, ..., A metre-scale vertical origami hydrogel panel for atmospheric water harvesting in Death Valley, Nature Water, 1-9, 2025
- ST Korfia, F Trigka, V Riera Naranjo, S Bizzi, H Zhang, B Deng, MM Lerch, Structure-Aided Chemical Signal Propagation in Hydrogel Metastructures, ChemRxiv, 2025
- Y Fu, V Shen, V Riera Naranjo, B Deng, A Adams, J Hester, SoundOff: Low-cost Passive Ultrasound Tags for Non-invasive and Non-Intrusive Smart Home Sensing, Proceedings of the ACM on Interactive, Mobile, Wearable and Ubiquitous …, 2025
- X Yang, B Wang, VR Naranjo, M Guo, O Rivera, L Sopizhenko, S Li, ..., Electronic‐Free Particle Robots Communicate through Architected Tentacles, Advanced Intelligent Systems 7 (12), e202500151, 2025