Xiaoyu Tang
Assistant Professor,
Mechanical and Industrial Engineering
Affiliated Faculty,
Chemical Engineering
Office
- 445 SN
- 617.373.8404
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
- 2025 NSF CAREER Award
- 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 Research Projects
- Unraveling Flow-Fluid Coupling During Impact of Complex Fluid Droplets
- – PI, National Science Foundation
- Inkjet Printing Framework by Droplet Impact-induced Ink Release from Liquid Crystal Receiving Substrate
- – PI, National Science Foundation
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.
Jun 02, 2025
NSF CAREER Award for Impact Dynamics of Complex Fluid Droplets on Surfaces
MIE Assistant Professor Xiaoyu Tang received a $584,946 NSF CAREER award for “Unraveling Flow-Fluid Coupling During Impact of Complex Fluid Droplets.” The research will establish a framework that combines several state-of-the-art diagnostic methods to probe the impact dynamics of drops composed of complicated fluids. Data will provide critical insight into the impact dynamics of complex fluid droplets on surfaces.
Apr 04, 2025
A Journey of Interdisciplinary Research Experiences
Matthew Coughlin, E’25, mechanical engineering, gained extensive research experience in thermofluids in a lab at Northeastern, with three summer Research Experiences for Undergraduates, and on co-op. He was nominated for the prestigious Knight-Hennessy Scholarship and received the NSF Graduate Research Fellowship Program Award.
Nov 15, 2024
Northeastern Nominates 6 COE Students for Prestigious Knight-Hennessy Scholarship
Alex Bender, E’20, MS’20, Matthew Coughlin, E’25, Maya De Los Santos, E’25, Jose Meza Llamosas, E’25, Dominic Pizzarella, E’25, and Daniel Sneyers Pont, E’21, MS’21, were six of eight nominated by Northeastern for the Knight-Hennessy Scholarship, which develops a community of future global leaders to address complex challenges through collaboration and innovation.
Sep 25, 2024
Fall 2024 PEAK Experiences Awardees for Undergrad Research
Several COE, COS, and Khoury students mentored by COE faculty are recipients of the Fall 2024 PEAK Experiences Awards from Northeastern’s Office of Undergraduate Research and Fellowships.
Jan 11, 2024
Spring 2024 AJC Merit Research Scholars
Several engineering and science students mentored by COE faculty are recipients of the Spring 2024 AJC Merit Research Scholars from Northeastern’s Office of Undergraduate Research and Fellowships, which funds a co-op in the laboratory of a Northeastern University STEM faculty member.
Oct 31, 2023
Northeastern Nominates Four COE Students for Prestigious Knight-Hennessy Scholarship
Benjamin Lanava, E’24, Leah Ragosta, E’24, Kritika Singh, E’20, and Alex Storrer, E’24, were nominated by Northeastern for the Knight-Hennessy Scholarship, which recognizes and supports young leaders, tuned to the challenges of the 21st-century, supporting their graduate educations and providing a community of support and engagement.
Sep 15, 2023
Fall 2023 PEAK Experiences Awardees for Undergrad Research
Several engineering and science students mentored by COE faculty are recipients of Fall 2023 PEAK Experiences Awards from Northeastern’s Office of Undergraduate Research and Fellowships.
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 $625,000 NSF award for “Inkjet Printing Framework by Droplet Impact-induced Ink Release From Liquid Crystal Receiving Substrate.”
Apr 27, 2023
FY24 TIER 1 Research Development Award Recipients
Twelve COE faculty and affiliates were recipients of Northeastern’s FY24 TIER 1 Interdisciplinary Research Seed Grants provided by the Research Development department for 11 different projects.
Jan 25, 2023
Spring 2023 PEAK Experiences Awardees for Undergrad Research
Several engineering and science students mentored by COE faculty are recipients of Spring 2023 PEAK Experiences Awards from Northeastern’s Office of Undergraduate Research and Fellowships.