Yuhang Hu, an associate professor jointly appointed by the George W. Woodruff School of Mechanical Engineering and School of Chemical & Biomolecular Engineering at Georgia Institute of Technology, has been named the 2021 recipient of the Sia Nemat-Nasser Early Career Award from the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME).

The award recognizes early career research excellence in the areas of experimental, computational, and theoretical mechanics and materials by young investigators who are within 10 years after their Ph.D. degree, with special emphasis placed on under-represented groups. The award was established by the ASME Materials Division in 2008 and operated as a division award until 2012 when it was elevated to a Society award.

Hu’s research focuses on the mechanics of soft active materials, an interdisciplinary area between mechanics and polymer chemistry. Her studies span from fundamental mechanics to novel applications, integrating experiments and theory. Hu has published 54 peer-reviewed papers in highly cited journals in both the fields of mechanics and materials. She is the recipient of the National Science Foundation CAREER Award, the Air Force Office of Scientific Research Young Investigator Program Award, the Extreme Mechanics Letters Young Investigator Award and the Journal of Applied Mechanics Award. She has delivered 18 invited seminars in peer institutions, a keynote and eight invited talks in international conferences and workshops. She was elected as the newsletter editor of the ASME technical committee of mechanics of soft materials and is currently serving as the secretary of the committee.  

Hu earned a bachelor’s degree in engineering mechanics from Shanghai Jiao Tong University in China, a Master of Science degree in civil and environmental engineering from Nanyang Technological University in Singapore, and a Master of Science degree in applied physics and Ph.D. in engineering sciences from Harvard University in the U.S.