Yingchao Yang
Associate Professor
C3213 Lafferre Hall
Phone: 573.882-3396
Email: yingchao.yang@missouri.edu
Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering
Biography
Yingchao Yang is an associate professor in the Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering at the University of Missouri (Mizzou). Prior to joining Mizzou, he served as an assistant professor at the University of Maine and worked as a postdoctoral research associate at Rice University. Yang received his Ph.D. degree in mechanical engineering from the University of South Carolina in 2013.
Yang’s research interests span in the loop of nanomaterial fabrication, property evaluation, and advanced applications. Specifically, one-dimensional (1D), two-dimensional (2D) and three-dimensional (3D) nanomaterials have been synthesized, functionalized, scaled up towards energy storage, carbon dioxide capture and reduction, hydrogen generation, water desalination and air filtration. To largely utilize abundant renewable biomass and reduce biowaste, selected biomass has been converted into porous carbon skeleton to support nanomaterials growth to build up 3D hybrid materials. Addition to materials science, ex situ and in situ mechanical investigation on individual nanostructures has been focused to understand mechanical behaviors and further ensure their reliability and durability during applications.
As of 2023, Yang has been successful in securing several externally funded research projects from agencies including NSF, DOE EPSCoR, DOE National Laboratories, DOI BOR, and USDA Laboratory. His research has also been supported by Oak Ridge National Laboratory and Lawrence Berkley National Laboratory. Yang is the recipient of National Science Foundation Early Career Award, as well as 2023 UMaine Faculty Mentor Impact Award and 2021 UMaine College of Engineering Early Career Research Award.
Education
Ph.D. in mechanical engineering from University of South Carolina
M.S. in materials science from Harbin Institute of Technology, China
B.S. in materials science from Wuhan University of Science and Technology, China
Technical Focus
Biomass-based materials for energy storage / water treatment / air filtration