Penghui Cao

Penghui Cao is an Associate Professor at the Samueli School of Engineering, University of California, Irvine, with a joint appointment in Materials Science and Engineering. His research focuses on the fundamental mechanisms of material deformation and failure under extreme conditions.

• Key affiliations: Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, Materials Science and Engineering
• Research areas: Plastic deformation, phase transitions, radiation damage tolerance, and machine learning applications in materials science

Recent publications highlight his work on high-entropy alloys, nanomechanics, and additive manufacturing processes. His studies integrate atomistic simulations and experimental validations to understand material behavior at extreme scales.

His laboratory, the Laboratory for Extreme Mechanics & Materials, investigates phenomena such as shock compression, chemical ordering, and grain boundary dynamics.