zichen's blog

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.

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.

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.

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.

Dear Colleagues,

Bistable structures, exemplified
by the Venus flytrap and slap bracelets, can switch between different
functional shapes upon actuation, and have important applications in
mechanical/electro-mechanical devices ranging from bio-inspired robots to
deployable aeroplane wings. Despite numerous efforts in modeling such large
deformation of shell structures, the roles of mechanical and nonlinear geometric
effects on bistability remains elusive. Closely related, emerging challenges
include modeling the spontaneous curving and buckling of thin objects such as

In the developing embryo, tissues differentiate, deform, and move in an
orchestrated manner to generate various biological shapes driven by the complex
interplay between genetic, epigenetic, and environmental factors. Mechanics
plays a key role in regulating and controlling morphogenesis, and quantitative
models help us understand how various mechanical forces combine to shape the
embryo. Models allow for the quantitative, unbiased testing of physical
mechanisms, and when used appropriately, can motivate new
experimentaldirections. This knowledge benefits biomedical researchers who aim
to prevent and treat congenital malformations, as well as engineers working to