Ben Xu

Dr. Ben Xu is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering at the University of Houston, where he currently serves as the Presidential Frontier Faculty Fellow and Houston Demonstration Hub Director of the DoD OLDCC consortium. His academic journey includes positions at Mississippi State University (2020–2022) and the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley (2016–2020), alongside postdoctoral research at Drexel University (2015–2016). His research focuses on Solar Thermal Storage, Multiphase Flow and Heat Transfer, Advanced Manufacturing, and Laser-Assisted Bioprinting, with significant contributions to energy systems and biomedical applications.

Education:

• Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering, University of Arizona (2015)
• M.S. in Fluid Mechanics, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences (2010)
• B.S. in Thermo-fluids Engineering, Wuhan University (2007)

Research interests emphasize solar energy innovation, thermal management, and bioprinting. Key projects include:

• $7.5M DoD OLDCC consortium (2023–2028)
• NSF-funded study on multiphase heat transfer in porous media (2022–2025)
• DOE projects on solar receivers and reactive particle energy storage (2022–2027)

His work has been recognized with awards like the DOD MEEP Faculty Fellow (2020) and ASME Best Paper awards. Xu’s publications span solar thermal systems, bioprinting advancements, and additive manufacturing, with over 50 peer-reviewed articles and book chapters. He actively engages in educational roles, teaching courses like Heat Transfer and Thermal Energy Storage at the University of Houston.