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Postdoctoral positions available at Harvard Medical School/BWH

Postdoctoral positions on mechanical metamaterials and/or biomechanics are available at Harvard Medical School and Brigham and Women's Hospital. The project on mechanical metamaterials is in collaboration with Prof. Xiaoming Mao at University of Michigan funded by Office of Naval Research (MURI).

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Optical and Mechanical Properties of Self-Repairing Pectin Biopolymers

Pectin’s unique physicochemical properties have been linked to a variety of reparative and regenerative processes in nature. To investigate the effect of water on pectin repair, we used a 5 mm stainless-steel uniaxial load to fracture glass phase pectin films. The fractured gel phase films were placed on a 1.5–1.8 mm thick layer of water and incubated for 8 h at room temperature and ambient humidity. There was no immersion or agitation. The repaired pectin film was subsequently assessed for its optical and mechanical properties.

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Research intern/postdoc positions at Brigham and Women's Hospital/Harvard Medical School

Research intern and postdoctoral positions on biomechanics, bioinspired robotics, mechanical metamaterials, and/or PPE innovation are available at Brigham and Women's Hospital and Harvard Medical School. Candidates with a degree in Mechanical Engineering, Engineering Mechanics, Physics, Biomedical Engineering (or any related field) with strong publication records (for those with PhD) are encouraged to submit a full CV, a cover letter stating research experience and interests, and the contact information of three references to Dr. Zi Chen at zchen33(at)bwh.harvard.edu.

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Multi-Shape-Changing Interpenetrating Networks with Shape Memory and Adaptive Plasticity Transitions,

Shape-changing materials with precisely programmable configurations, each having its own functional regime, provide a wide range of applications in engineering and biomedical fields. Polymers with dynamic reversible covalent/non-covalent bonding feature the potential of having remarkable plasticity, which endows them with the capability of undergoing significant and sophisticated shape changes. Here we report a facile method to build an interpenetrating network (IPN) structure with plastic deformation and shape memory properties.

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Programmable 3D Self-Folding Structures with Strain Engineering

Self-assembly of three-dimensional (3D) structures, through bending, twisting, folding, and buckling, has garnered broad interest among physicists, mathematicians, chemists, and biologists. Herein strain engineering and geometric frustration as an on-demand strategy for fabricating spontaneous rolling “origami” structures with programmable multistability across multiple length scales are exploited.

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Smart Laser-Writable Micropatterns with Multiscale Photo/ Moisture Reconstructible Structure

The design of a dynamic, versatile, convertible, and responsive micropatterned system is realized by a photo/moisture reconstructible multiscale film-substrate bilayer structure. Specifically, a hydrophilic polyvinyl alcohol (PVA)/laponite (LP) thin film is covalently bonded to a photothermally active polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS)/carbon black (CB) soft substrate. A laser engraver can inscribe programmable aligned micro-wrinkles by manipulating laser power and spatiotemporal control.

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Two postdoc positions in solid mechanics/mechanical metamaterials/soft robotics/biomechanics

The Chen lab at Dartmouth is looking for two postdocts in solid mechanics/mechanical metamaterials/soft robotics/biomechanics areas with an expected start date after 7/1/2020.

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Controllable Shape Changing and Tristability of Bilayer Composite

The programmable shape transition of a two dimensional sheet to a three-dimensional (3D) structure in response to a variety of external stimuli has recently attracted increasing attention. Among the various shape changing materials, shape memory polymers (SMPs) can fix their temporary shape and/or their length and recover under proper thermal treatment.

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A Remotely Controlled Transformable Soft Robot Based on Engineered Cardiac Tissue Construct

Many living organisms undergo conspicuous or abrupt changes in body structure, which is often accompanied by a behavioral change. Inspired by the natural metamorphosis, robotic systems can be designed as reconfigurable to be multifunctional. Here, a tissue-engineered transformable robot is developed, which can be remotely controlled to assume different mechanical structures for switching locomotive function.

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Postdoctoral Research Associate at Dartmouth

One postdoctoral fellow position in solid mechanics/biomechanics at Dartmouth is immediately available in the Chen group at Thayer School of Engineering at Dartmouth (http://engineering.dartmouth.edu/people/faculty/zi-chen/). The subjects of research include, but arre not limited to, cancer cell migration, mechanics of morphogenesis in embryos or plants, and/or bioinspired robots.

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Research Associate positions at Thayer School of Engineering, Dartmouth College

Thayer School of Engineering at Dartmouth College, an Ivy League institution in New Hampshire, cordially invites applications for TWO Research Associate positions to start immediately. Collaborative projects led by Dr. John Zhang and Dr. Zi Chen are sponsored by NIH Director’s Transformative Award and Fortune 500 companies in the Silicon Valley. We are looking for outstanding junior scholars with great research potential who are desirous of independent academic or industrial R&D careers.

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Shape formation of helical ribbons induced by material anisotropy

Helices are ubiquitous building blocks in natural and engineered systems. Previous studies showed that helical ribbon morphology can result from anisotropic driving forces and geometric misorientation between the principal axes of the driving forces and the geometric axes. However, helical ribbon shapes induced by elastic modulus anisotropy have not been systematically examined even though most natural and engineered structures are made of composite materials with anisotropic mechanical properties.

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Edge effect of strained bilayer nanofilms for tunable multistability and actuation

Inspired by the need to develop reconfigurable materials at the micro- and nano- scales that are capable of exhibiting more than one stable configuration, we employed both theoretical and computational models supported by experiments to study the multistable behavior of a Si/Cr microclaw and uncover the mechanical principles involved.

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How the embryonic chick brain twists

During early development, the tubular embryonic chick brain undergoes a combination of progressive ventral bending and rightward torsion, one of the earliest organ-level left–right asymmetry events in development. Existing evidence suggests that bending is caused by differential growth, but the mechanism for the predominantly rightward torsion of the embryonic brain tube remains poorly understood.

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One postdoctoral fellow position in solid mechanics/biomechanics available at Dartmouth

One postdoctoral fellow position in solid mechanics/biomechanics at Dartmouth is immediately available in the Chen group at Thayer School of Engineering at Dartmouth (http://engineering.dartmouth.edu/people/faculty/zi-chen/). The subjects of research include, but are not limited to, cancer cell migration and mechanics of morphogenesis in embryos or plants.

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Call For Abstracts: 2016 SES Symposium D-14 "Non-linear Response of Highly Deformable Structures"

We would like to invite you to submit abstracts to Symposium D-14: Non-linear Response of Highly Deformable Structures within the “Mechanics of Solids and Structures” track at the 53rd Annual Technical Meeting of the Society of Engineering Science (SES 2016), hosted by the University of Maryland, October 2-5, 2016.

The deadline for abstract submission is June 15, 2016.

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Mechanical Self-Assembly of a Strain-Engineered Flexible Layer: Wrinkling, Rolling, and Twisting

Self-shaping of curved structures, especially those involving flexible thin layers, is attracting increasing attention because of their broad potential applications in, e.g., nanoelectromechanical andmicroelectromechanical systems, sensors, artificial skins, stretchable electronics, robotics, and drug delivery.

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Fast nastic motion of plants and bio-inspired structures

The capability to sense and respond to external mechanical stimuli at various timescales is essential to many physiological aspects in plants, including selfprotection, intake of nutrients and reproduction. Remarkably, some plants have evolved the ability to react to mechanical stimuli within a few seconds despite a lack of muscles and nerves. The fast movements of plants in response to mechanical stimuli have long captured the curiosity of scientists and engineers, but the mechanisms behind these rapid thigmonastic movements are still not understood completely.

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Postdoctoral fellow positions in solid mechanics/biomechanics at Dartmouth

Two postdoctoral fellow positions in solid mechanics/biomechanics at Dartmouth are available from July 2015.

The subjects of research include, but are not limited to, mechanics of morphogenesis in embryos and plants, fast motion of plants (e.g., the Venus flytrap's rapid closure), mechanical self-assembly and instability of thin structures (e.g., DNA, origami structures, plant tendrils, self-assembly of nanostructures, etc.), and bioinspired structures.

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Residual Stresses and Poisson’s Effect Drive Shape Formation and Transition of Helical Structures

Strained multilayer structures are extensively investigated because of their applications in microelectromechanical/nano-elecromechanical systems. Here we employ a finite element method (FEM) to study the bending and twisting of multilayer structures subjected to misfit strains or residual stresses. This method is first validated by comparing the simulation results with analytic predictions for the bending radius of a bilayer strip with given misfit strains.

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PhD positions in solid mechanics/biomechanics at Dartmouth College in 2015

I'm looking for prospective PhD students to study solid mechanics/biomechanics in 2015 at Dartmouth College (Thayer School of Engineering). Visiting or postdoctoral positions are also available for highly qualified candidates from fall 2015. The subjects of research include, but are not limited to, mechanics of morphogenesis in plants/embryos, fast motion of plants (e.g., the Venus flytrap's rapid closure), mechanical self-assembly and instability of thin structures (e.g., DNA, plant tendrils, self-assembly of nanostructures, etc.), and bioinspired structures.

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Postdoctoral research associate position in mechanics of materials, morphogenesis and biosinspired structures

One postdoctoral research associate position is available (dates negotiable). The successful candidate will work on one or multiples of the following topics: mechanics of morphogenesis in plants and embryos, fast motion of plants (e.g., the Venus flytrap's rapid closure), mechanical self-assembly and instability of thin structures (e.g., DNA, plant tendrils, self-assembly of nanostructures, etc.), and bioinspired structures. The candidate should have received (or expect to receive very soon) a Ph.D.

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