Ruobing Bai
Assistant Professor,
Mechanical and Industrial Engineering
Office
- 203 SN
- 617-373-7150
Lab
- 103 MUGAR
Research Focus
Solid mechanics and large deformation; Damage, fracture, fatigue, debonding, strengthening, toughening, and adhesion; Stimuli-responsive actuation and instability; Multifunctional materials and sustainable materials; Multiphysical processes
About
Ruobing Bai is an assistant professor in the Department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering at Northeastern University. He completed his bachelor, PhD, and postdoc training at Peking University, Harvard University, and California Institute of Technology, all in solid mechanics. He is the recipient of the NSF CAREER Award, ACS Petroleum Research Fund Doctoral New Investigator grant, EML Young Investigator Award, ASME Haythornthwaite Research Initiation Award, and Chun-Tsung Scholar of Peking University. He is currently a member of the Extreme Mechanics Letters (EML) Early Career Advisory Board and the secretary of the ASME “Mechanics of Soft Materials” technical committee. His research combines theory and experiment in solid mechanics, materials science, and other multiphysical processes in areas including but not limited to multifunctional materials, fracture, adhesion, strengthening and toughening, sustainable materials, soft robotics, human-machine interfaces, and energy storage systems.
Education
- Ph.D., Engineering Sciences, Harvard University, 2018
- B.S., Theoretical and Applied Mechanics, Peking University, 2012
Honors & Awards
- NSF CAREER Award, National Science Foundation (NSF)
- Doctoral New Investigator Grant, American Chemical Society (ACS) Petroleum Research Fund
- EML Young Investigator Award, Extreme Mechanics Letters (EML)
- Haythornthwaite Research Initiation Award, Applied Mechanics Division of American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME)
- Best Poster Award, New England Workshop on the Mechanics of Materials and Structures (NEW.Mech)
- Haythornthwaite Student Travel Grants, Applied Mechanics Division of American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME)
- Chun-Tsung Scholar, Peking University
Teaching Interests
ME 6320: Mechanics of Soft Materials, Spring Semester
ME 2355/2356: Mechanics of Materials, Fall Semester
ME 2340/2341: Introduction to Materials Science, Spring Semester
Leadership Positions
- Secretary (2025 – Now), Editor (2024), American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) technical committee, Mechanics of Soft Materials
- Extreme Mechanics Letters (EML) Early Career Advisory Board, 2023 – Now
- Guest editor, Special Issue: Mechanics of Soft and Living Matter, Experimental Mechanics, 2025
- Editor, iMechanica Journal Club, 2024 – 2025
Professional Affiliations
American Society of Mechanical Engineers
Society of Engineering Science
American Physical Society
Adhesion Society
Research Overview
Solid mechanics and large deformation; Damage, fracture, fatigue, debonding, strengthening, toughening, and adhesion; Stimuli-responsive actuation and instability; Multifunctional materials and sustainable materials; Multiphysical processes
Research in the Bai group aims to combine theory and experiment in solid mechanics, materials science, and other multiphysical processes in areas including but not limited to multifunctional materials, fracture, adhesion, strengthening and toughening, sustainable materials, soft robotics, human-machine interfaces, and energy storage systems. The group have a strong background of theoretical modeling as well as modern laboratory facilities for material synthesis, fabrication, and characterization.
Bai Research Group
We constantly have various positions available in our group including undergraduate research, PhD, postdoc, and visiting student/scholar. You can find the most up-to-date information from our lab website. You are welcome to contact for further information. Please indicate your anticipated starting time.
Selected Research Projects
Department Research Areas
Selected Publications
- Y. Xiao, Y. Zeng, B. Liu, R. Bai, W. Hong, C. Yang, “Prolonged fracture resistance of hydrogels through spontaneous network reconfiguration”, Extreme Mechanics Letters, 2025.
- Q. Yin, Y. A. Manav, Y. Wan, B. Davaji, R. Bai, “Strong and Highly Switchable Soft Sticky Adhesives”. Extreme Mechanics Letters, 2025.
- Z. Usmanova, R. Bai, “Peeling an Architected Interface: Roles of Softness and Fractoadhesive Length in Adhesion Toughening”. International Journal of Fracture, 2025.
- Z. Wei, U. H. Bootwala, R. Bai, “Synthesis-Processing-Property Relationships in Thermomechanics of Liquid Crystal Elastomers”. Journal of the Mechanics and Physics of Solids, 2024.
- Y. Wan, Q. Yin, P. Zhang, C. Yang, R. Bai, “Interfacial Fatigue Fracture of Pressure Sensitive Adhesives”. Extreme Mechanics Letters, 2024.
- A. Anssari-Benam, Z. Wei, R. Bai, “Modelling the Deformation of Polydomain Liquid Crystal Elastomers as a State of Hyperelasticity”. Journal of Elasticity, 2024.
- Y. Wang, Z. Wei, T. Ji, R. Bai, H. Zhu, “Highly Ionic Conductive, Stretchable, and Tough Ionogel for Flexible Solid‐State Supercapacitor”. Small, 2023.
- D. Cao, T. Ji, Z. Wei, W. Liang, R. Bai, K. S. Burch, M. Geiwitz, H. Zhu, “Enhancing Lithium Stripping Efficiency in Anode-Free Solid-State Batteries through Self-Regulated Internal Pressure”. Nano Letters, 2023.
- Z. Wei, P. Wang, R. Bai, “Thermomechanical Coupling in Polydomain Liquid Crystal Elastomers”. Journal of Applied Mechanics, 2023.
- Y. Xiao, Q. Li, X. Yao, R. Bai, W. Hong, C. Yang, “Fatigue of Amorphous Hydrogels with Dynamic Covalent Bonds”. Extreme Mechanics Letters, 2022.
- Z. Wei, R. Bai, “Temperature-Modulated Photomechanical Actuation of Photoactive Liquid Crystal Elastomers”. Extreme Mechanics Letters, 2022.
- R. Bai, E. Ocegueda, K. Bhattacharya, “Photochemical-Induced Phase Transitions in Photoactive Semicrystalline Polymers”. Physical Review E, 2021.
- M. Hua, C. Kim, Y. Du, D. Wu, R. Bai, X. He, “Swaying Gel: Chemo-mechanical Self-Oscillation Based on Dynamic Buckling”. Matter, 2021.
- R. Bai, Y. S. Teh, K. Bhattacharya, “Collective Behavior in the Kinetics and Equilibrium of Solid-State Photoreaction”. Extreme Mechanics Letters, 2021.
- R. Bai, K. Bhattacharya, “Photomechanical Coupling in Photoactive Nematic Elastomers”. Journal of the Mechanics and Physics of Solids, 2020.
- J. Yang, J. Steck, R. Bai, Z. Suo, “Topological Adhesion II. Stretchable Adhesion”. Extreme Mechanics Letters, 2020.
- B. Chen, J. Yang, R. Bai, Z. Suo, “Molecular Staples for Tough and Stretchable Adhesion in Integrated Soft Materials”. Advanced Healthcare Materials, 2019.
- J. Yang, R. Bai, J. Li, C. Yang, X. Yao, Q. Liu, J. Vlassak, D. J. Mooney, Z. Suo, “Design Molecular Topology for Wet-Dry Adhesion”. ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces, 2019.
- J. Yang, R. Bai, B. Chen, Z. Suo, “Hydrogel Adhesion: A Supramolecular Synergy of Chemistry, Topology, and Mechanics”. Advanced Functional Materials, 2019.
- R. Bai, J. Yang, X. P. Morelle, Z. Suo, “Flaw-Insensitive Hydrogels under Static and Cyclic Loads”. Macromolecular Rapid Communications, 2019.
- R. Bai, B. Chen, J. Yang, Z. Suo, “Tearing a Hydrogel of Complex Rheology”. Journal of the Mechanics and Physics of Solids, 2019.
- R. Bai, J. Yang, Z. Suo, “Fatigue of Hydrogels”. European Journal of Mechanics – A/Solids, 2019.
- M. Sun, R. Bai, X. Yang, J. Song, Z. Suo, X. He, “Hydrogel Interferometry for Ultrasensitive and Highly Selective Chemical Detection”. Advanced Materials, 2018.
- X. P. Morelle, W. R. Illeperuma, K. Tian, R. Bai, Z. Suo, J. Vlassak, “Highly Stretchable and Tough Hydrogels Below Water Freezing Temperature”. Advanced Materials, 2018.
- Z. Wang, J. Tang, R. Bai, W. Zhang, T. Lian, T. Lu, T. Wang, “A Phenomenological Model for Shakedown of Tough Hydrogels under Cyclic Loads”. Journal of Applied Mechanics, 2018.
- J. Yang, R. Bai, Z. Suo, “Topological Adhesion of Wet Materials”. Advanced Materials, 2018.
- E. Zhang, R. Bai, X. P. Morelle, Z. Suo, “Fatigue Fracture of Nearly Elastic Hydrogels”. Soft Matter, 2018.
- M. Qin, M. Sun, R. Bai, Y. Mao, X. Qian, D. Sikka, Y. Zhao, H. J. Qi, Z. Suo, X. He, “Bioinspired Hydrogel Interferometer for Adaptive Coloration and Chemical Sensing”. Advanced Materials, 2018.
- R. Bai, J. Yang, X. P. Morelle, C. Yang, Z. Suo, “Fatigue Fracture of Self-Recovery Hydrogels”. ACS Macro Letters, 2018.
- X. P. Morelle, R. Bai, Z. Suo, “Localized Deformation in Plastic Liquids on Elastomers”. Journal of Applied Mechanics, 2017.
- R. Bai, Q. Yang, J. Tang, X. P. Morelle, J. Vlassak, Z. Suo, “Fatigue Fracture of Tough Hydrogels”. Extreme Mechanics Letters, 2017.
Mar 13, 2025
NSF CAREER Award To Develop Stronger and More Versatile Adhesives
MIE Assistant Professor Ruobing Bai received a $650,000 NSF CAREER Award to improve the functionality of soft sticky adhesive materials so that they do not easily crack or break and can rapidly switch between adhesive and non-adhesive states.
Feb 25, 2025
PhD Student Wins Alan Gent Distinguished Student Paper Award
Zumrat Usmanova, PhD’27, mechanical engineering, who is advised by Ruobing Bai, assistant professor of mechanical and industrial engineering, was recognized with the highly competitive Alan Gent Distinguished Student Paper Award from The Adhesion Society.
Feb 07, 2025
Spring 2025 PEAK Experiences Awardees for Undergrad Research
Several COE, COS, and Khoury students mentored by COE faculty are recipients of the Spring 2025 PEAK Experiences Awards from Northeastern’s Office of Undergraduate Research and Fellowships.
Jan 17, 2025
Improving the Strength and Toughness of Soft Materials
MIE Assistant Professor Ruobing Bai, in collaboration with Michigan State University, is leading a $705,664 NSF grant for the “Mechanics of End-Linked Polymer Networks With Strain-Induced Crystallization Regulated by Topological Defects.” The research will facilitate emerging applications such as soft robotics, medical devices, and wearable electronics.
Jun 05, 2024
Developing Next-Generation Durable and Sustainable Polymers
MIE Assistant Professor Ruobing Bai received a $110,000 Doctoral New Investigator (DNI) grant from the American Chemical Society Petroleum Research Fund for “Fracture and Toughening of Reconfigurable Polymers: Towards Next-Generation Durable and Sustainable Materials.”
May 08, 2024
2024 URF Scholars Recipients
Several engineering students received 2024 URF Scholars Awards from Northeastern’s Office of Undergraduate Research and Fellowships. URF Scholars are students who are graduating this year and who have earned a PEAK Experiences Award, applied for a distinguished fellowship, or participated in graduate school advising.
May 07, 2024
Summer 2024 PEAK Experiences Awardees for Undergrad Research
Several engineering and science students mentored by COE faculty are recipients of the Summer 2024 PEAK Experiences Awards from Northeastern’s Office of Undergraduate Research and Fellowships.
Dec 22, 2022
Inaugural AJC Merit Research Scholars for Research Co-ops at Northeastern
Several engineering and science students mentored by COE faculty are recipients of the inaugural AJC Merit Research Scholars from Northeastern’s Office of Undergraduate Research and Fellowships. It provides exceptional students with the opportunity to pursue STEM research co-ops in the laboratories of Northeastern University faculty.
Nov 18, 2022
Bai Receives EML Young Investigator Award
MIE Assistant Professor Ruobing Bai is a recipient of the 2022 Extreme Mechanics Letters (EML) Young Investigator Award for his paper “Temperature-modulated Photomechanical Actuation of Photoactive Liquid Crystal Elastomers.”
Oct 11, 2022
Bai and Zhu Awarded Haythornthwaite Foundation Research Initiation Grants
MIE Assistant Professors Ruobing Bai and Juner Zhu were awarded the 2022 Haythornthwaite Foundation Research Initiation Grant from the Applied Mechanics Division of the ASME. The intent of the grant, […]