Xiaoyu Tang
Assistant Professor, Mechanical and Industrial Engineering
Office
- 445 SN
- 617.373.8404
Related Links
Research Focus
Fluid mechanics, soft matter, microfluidics, active colloidal systems, electrokinetic flow, interfacial phenomena, complex fluids, reactive flow, biological flow; additive manufacturing, material synthesis and processing in flow, oil/gas recovery and remediation
About
Xiaoyu Tang joined Northeastern’s Mechanical and Industrial Engineering department in January 2021. Prior to that, she was a postdoctoral researcher in the Department of Chemical Engineering at University of California, Santa Barbara, where she worked on manipulation of colloidal particles in microfluidic systems. Dr. Tang obtained her PhD in Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering from Princeton University in 2018. Her doctoral research focused on experimental analysis of multiphase flow involving drop dynamics. Her research interests include multiphase flow, microfluidics, colloidal science, and soft matter, with applications in energy, environment, and healthcare. She has received the Summerfield Fellowship from the Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering at Princeton University.
Education
- Ph.D., Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, Princeton University, 2018
- M.A., Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, Princeton University, 2014
- B.E., Thermal Engineering, Tsinghua University, 2011
Honors & Awards
- Summerfield Fellowship, Princeton University
Professional Affiliations
- American Physical Society
- American Institute of Chemical Engineers
- American Society of Mechanical Engineers
- American Chemical Society
Research Overview
Fluid mechanics, soft matter, microfluidics, active colloidal systems, electrokinetic flow, interfacial phenomena, complex fluids, reactive flow, biological flow; additive manufacturing, material synthesis and processing in flow, oil/gas recovery and remediation
Selected Publications
- R. Shah, H. Tan, D. Taylor, X. Tang, N. Shi, A. Mashat, A. Abdel-Fattah, T. M. Squires, “Temperature dependence of diffusiophoresis via a novel microfluidic approach”, Lab on a Chip (2022), 22(10), 1980-1988.
- Tan, A. Banerjee, N. Shi, X. Tang, A. Abdel-Fattah, T. M. Squires, “A two-step strategy for delivering particles to targets hidden within microfabricated porous media”, Science Advances (2021), 7(33), eabh0638.
- X. Tang, A. Saha, C. Sun, C. K. Law, “Spreading and oscillation dynamics of drop impacting liquid film”, J. Fluid Mech. (2019), 881, 859-871.
- A. Saha, Y. Wei, X. Tang, C. K. Law, “ Kinematics of vortex ring generated by a drop upon impacting a liquid pool”, J. Fluid Mech. (2019), 875, 842-853.
- X. Tang, A. Saha, C. K. Law, C. Sun, “Bouncing drop on liquid film: Dynamics of interfacial gas layer”, Phys. Fluids (2019), 31 (1), 013304, selected as featured article and highlighted in AIP Scilight.
- X. Tang, A. Saha, C. K. Law, C. Sun, “Effect of viscosity on the drop impact on liquid film”, Langmuir (2018), 34 (8), 2654-2662.
- X. Tang, A. Saha, C. K. Law, C. Sun, “Nonmonotonic response of drop impacting on liquid film: mechanism and scaling”, Soft Matter (2016), 12(20), 4521-4529, featured in the issue cover.

May 18, 2023
Improving Inkjet Printing by Encapsulating Ink in Liquid Crystal for Advanced Materials
MIE Assistant Professor Xiaoyu Tang, in collaboration with Xiaoguang Wang from Ohio State University, was awarded a $625K NSF award for “Inkjet Printing Framework by Droplet Impact-induced Ink Release from Liquid Crystal Receiving Substrate.”
Apr 27, 2023
FY24 TIER 1 Award Recipients
Congratulations to the 12 COE faculty and affiliates who were recipients of FY24 TIER 1 Interdisciplinary Research Seed Grants for 11 different projects. Environmentally Sustainable and Socially Equitable Congestion Mitigation in Urban Transportation Systems Seyede Fatemeh Ghoreishi (Civil & Environmental Engineering/Computer Science), Daniel Aldrich (Political Science/SPPUA) Wind View AI Nathan Post (Roux), Enrico Bertini (Computer […]
Jan 25, 2023
Announcing Spring 2023 PEAK Experiences Awardees
Several engineering students and science students mentored by COE faculty are recipients of Northeastern’s Spring 2023 PEAK Experiences Awards. Base Camp Awardees Sophia Nguyen COE’26, “Neuromodulation of Motor Cortex’s Response to Different Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation Pulse Waveforms” Mentor: Mathew Yarossi, Bouvé, Physical Therapy/Movement/Rehab Science This project seeks to use transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS), a noninvasive […]
Oct 07, 2022
Announcing Fall 2022 PEAK Experiences Awardees
Several engineering students and science students mentored by COE faculty are recipients of Northeastern’s Fall 2022 PEAK Experiences Awards. This extraordinary group of students is taking on a range of exciting projects, from exploring axolotl limb regeneration to building a snake-inspired robot to understanding accessibility on Broadway. ASCENT AWARDS Justin Almendral COE’24, “Wearable Art” Mentor: […]

Jan 08, 2021
New Faculty Spotlight: Xiaoyu Tang
Xiaoyu Tang joins the Mechanical and Industrial Engineering department in January 2021 as an Assistant Professor.