PhD Spotlight: Qiyong Chen, PhD’ 20 – Mechanical Engineering

Qiyong Chen

Advised by Sinan Müftü, Professor of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering

Qiyong Chen, PhD’20, mechanical engineering, joined the Applied (Bio) Mechanics and Tribology Laboratory, advised by Professor Sinan Muftu, while pursuing his master’s degree in the Department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering at Northeastern University in 2014, and continued on to pursue his PhD after obtaining his MS in 2015.

Chen worked on two separate projects for his MS and PhD degrees. His MS thesis revolved around a medical procedure called radiofrequency (RF) ablation of hepatic tumors. In an effort to optimize pre-treatment planning, he integrated analytical solutions of the physical model and quadratic and nonlinear programing algorithms. With the same enthusiasm for mathematics and science, Chen shifted his research focus to the mechanics and material behavior of micron-scale metal particles in cold spray impacts during his PhD program. By leveraging finite element (FEM) simulations, the research work investigated various material responses such as adiabatic shear instability during supersonic impacts of Aluminum particles, which would otherwise be extremely difficult to observe and record with experimental measurements due to the ultra-high strain rates and extremely-short scale of the events. He also demonstrated an innovative approach to incorporate simulation results with artificial intelligence to drastically reduce the computational load of predicting particle impact results. Chen has published a total of six manuscripts, three as first author with several more in drafting and submission.

During his PhD program, Chen also completed an internship at Abaqus, the maker of a renowned finite element software company owned by Dassault Systèmes Simulia Corporation, and was ultimately recruited as a full-time employee after graduating. He is now applying his expertise in mechanics and simulation in the field of manufacturing and materials while working with colleagues and clients around the globe.

Related Faculty: Sinan Müftü

Related Departments:Mechanical & Industrial Engineering