Ph.D. in Engineering Mechanics, Tsinghua University, China (1/2015)

B.S. in Material Science and Engineering, Shandong University, China (7/2009)

2019.6-present Associate Professor in Engineering Mechanics, Tsinghua University, China

2015.3-2019.5 Postdoctoral Fellow in Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, University of California, Los Angeles, USA

Membership: IACM, MRS

Journal reviewer: Physical Review Letters, Journal of the Mechanics and Physics of Solids, International Journal of Plasticity, Acta Materialia, Journal of Applied Physics etc.

Proposal reviewer: ACS PRF proposal etc.

Symposium organizer in international conferences: 2018 Multiscale Materials Modeling (MMM), 2019 Computational plasticity etc.

Theoretical and Computational Mechanics in Severe Environments (e.g. fusion, space propulsion, etc.)

Design and Fabrication of New Materials and Structures in Severe Environments

Mechanics and Physics of Material Defects

Designing materials which are more resilient to severe environments (eg. irradiation, low/high temperature, high strain rate) is central to future energy and power technologies. To explore the intrinsic limit of materials performance, Yinan’ group focuses on building the state-of-art multiscale and multiphysics computational material simulation method, disclosing the microscopic physical origins of material deformation and failure, and developing the related mechanism-based theoretical models. New irradiation-resistant materials and structures are planned to be designed and fabricated based on these studies.

Higher Education Scientific Research Outstanding Achievement Award (First prize), China, 2018 (8/10)

Chancellor's Award for Postdoctoral Research-Honorable Mention, UCLA, 2018

Springer Outstanding PhD Thesis Award, Springer 2016

Excellent Doctoral Dissertation, Tsinghua University 2015

Published more than 20 peer-reviewed journal papers, including journals in physics (PRL, PRB), mechanics (e.g., JMPS, IJP), and materials (e.g., Acta Mater.). Published 2 books in English (one by Springer and one by Elsevier), and 1 book chapter in “Comprehensive Nuclear Materials”.

Representative publications include: (* denotes the Corresponding authors)

1. YN Cui*, G Po, YP Pellegrini, M Lazar, NM Ghoniem, Computational 3-Dimensional dislocations elastodynamics, Journal of the Mechanics and Physics of Solids, 2019, 126, 20-51 (IF: 4.289).

2. YN Cui*, NM Ghoniem. Influence of Size on the Fractal Dimension of Dislocation Microstructure. Metals, 2019, 9(4), 478 (IF: 1.704, invited paper)

3. YN Cui*, G Po, NM Ghoniem. Size-tuned plastic flow localization in irradiated materials at the submicron scale. Physical Review Letters, 2018, 120, 215501 (IF: 8.462)

4. YN Cui*, G Po, NM Ghoniem. Suppressing dislocation channel formation by tuning slip mode and dislocation structure in irradiated materials. Scripta Materialia, 2018, 154, 34-39 (IF: 3.747)

5. YN Cui*, G Po, NM Ghoniem. A Coupled Dislocation Dynamics-Continuum Barrier Field Model with Application to Irradiated Materials. International Journal of Plasticity, 2018, 104, 54-67 ( IF: 6.358)

6. YN Cui*, NM Ghoniem. Spatio-temporal Plastic Instabilities at the Nano/Micro Scale. Journal of Micromechanics and Molecular Physics. 2018 (Invited paper)

7. YN Cui*, G Po, NM Ghoniem. Does Irradiation Enhance or Inhibit Strain Bursts at the Submicron Scale. Acta Materialia. 2017, 132, 285–297 (IF: 5.301)

8. YN Cui*, G Po, NM Ghoniem. Influence of loading conditions on strain bursts and dislocation avalanches at the microscales. Physical Review B. 2017, 95, 064103 (IF: 3.718)

9. YN Cui*, G Po, NM Ghoniem. Controlling Strain Bursts and Avalanches at the Nano- to Micrometer Scale. Physical Review Letters. 2016, 117, 155502 (IF: 8.462)

10. YN Cui*, G Po, NM Ghoniem. Temperature Insensitivity of the Flow Stress in Body-centered Cubic Micropillar Crystals. Acta Materialia. 2016, 108, 128-137(IF: 5.301)

11. YN Cui, ZL Liu, ZJ Wang, Z Zhuang. Mechanical annealing under low amplitude cyclic loading in micropillars. Journal of the Mechanics and Physics of Solids, 2016, 89, 1-15 (IF: 4.289)

12. YN Cui, ZL Liu, Z Zhuang. Theoretical and numerical investigations on confined plasticity in micropillars. Journal of the Mechanics and Physics of Solids, 2015, 76: 127–143 (IF: 4.289)

13. YN Cui, ZL Liu, Z Zhuang. Quantitative investigations on dislocation based discrete-continuous model of crystal plasticity at submicron scale. International Journal of Plasticity, 2015, 69, 54-72 (IF: 6.358)

14. YN Cui, P Lin, ZL Liu, Z Zhuang. Theoretical and numerical investigations of single arm dislocation source controlled plastic flow in FCC micropillars. International Journal of Plasticity, 2014, 55, 279-292 (IF: 6.358)

Representative books:

1. YN Cui. The Investigation of Plastic Behavior by Discrete Dislocation Dynamics for Single Crystal Pillar at Submicron Scale. Springer Theses, Recognizing Outstanding Ph.D. Research, 2017, Springer Singapore, DOI: 10.1007/978-981-10-3032-1.

2. Z Zhuang, ZL Liu, YN Cui. Dislocation Mechanism Based Crystal Plasticity Theory and Computation at Micron-Submicron-Scale. Elsevier, 2019.

3. NM Ghoniem, YN Cui. Dislocation Dynamics Simulations of Defects in Irradiated Materials, (Book chapter in Comprehensive Nuclear Materials, 2ed version), 2019