Tao Sun

Tao Sun is an Adjunct Associate Professor in the Department of Materials Science and Engineering at the University of Virginia. He holds a B.S., M.S. from Tsinghua University (2002, 2004), and a Ph.D. from Northwestern University (2009). His research focuses on additive manufacturing, synchrotron x-ray techniques, and dynamic material processes. He has pioneered real-time defect detection in 3D printing using machine learning and high-speed imaging. Sun has been affiliated with Argonne National Laboratory and Northwestern University prior to joining UVA in 2019.

Education:

• B.S. Materials Science & Engineering, Tsinghua University (2002)
• M.S. Materials Science & Engineering, Tsinghua University (2004)
• Ph.D. Materials Science & Engineering, Northwestern University (2009)

Research Interests: Additive manufacturing processes and materials, synchrotron x-ray imaging/scattering, materials characterization, and dynamic material behavior analysis. His work emphasizes high-speed imaging for studying irreversible material phenomena during laser processing.

Key Contributions: Pioneered real-time detection of keyhole pores in laser powder bed fusion (published in Science), revealed universal scaling laws for keyhole stability, and developed high-speed x-ray imaging systems for additive manufacturing. His work bridges experimental observations with machine learning models for process optimization.

Awards:

• TMS Young Innovator in Additive Manufacturing Materials Science Award
• TMS Structural Materials Division JOM Best Paper Award

Teaching: Courses include MSE 4592/6592 (X-ray Scattering Techniques), MSE 6120 (Materials Characterization), and ENGR 1624 (Introduction to Engineering). Courses emphasize hands-on experience with advanced characterization tools.

Labs/Teams: Leads research teams at UVA and collaborates with Argonne National Laboratory’s X-ray Science Division. Focuses on in-situ synchrotron-based studies of manufacturing processes.