Emma Yang

Dr. Emma Yang is an Assistant Professor at The University of Texas at Arlington (UTA), Department of Industrial, Manufacturing, and Systems Engineering. She leads the Sustainable and Intelligent Manufacturing (SIGMA) Lab, focusing on additive manufacturing sustainability, circular economy integration, and advanced materials. Her professional career includes roles at UTA since 2019, prior experience at the University of Illinois at Chicago, and DOE Industrial Assessment Center (IAC) as a student investigator.

Education:

• Ph.D., Industrial Engineering & Operations Research, University of Illinois Chicago (2019)
• M.S., Mechanical Engineering, Purdue University Northwest (2015)
• B.S., Automotive Engineering, Beijing Institute of Technology (2013)

Research Interests: Dr. Yang’s work emphasizes high-quality metallic fabrication via hybrid additive manufacturing, circular economy strategies for waste recycling, additive manufacturing supply chain optimization, and sustainability in advanced manufacturing. Her lab’s projects are funded by NSF, DoD, and UTA. She also advocates for engineering education through virtual reality integration and K-12 STEM outreach.

Awards:

• 2024: President’s Award for Excellence in Teaching (UTA)
• 2023: 40 Under 40 (City of Arlington)
• 2023: Outstanding Achievement in Energy Engineering (DOE IAC Alumni)
• 2021: Best Presentation Award (International Conference on Resource Sustainability)

Grants & Funding:

• DoD Office of Naval Research (2022-2023)
• NSF and UTA Research Enhancement Program (2020-2021)

Labs & Teams: SIGMA Lab (Engineering Research Building 188) focuses on additive manufacturing waste recycling, hybrid manufacturing systems, and virtual reality training. Collaborations include UTA Libraries’ FabLab and Waters Corporation.