Xin Ning

Xin Ning is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Aerospace Engineering at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (UIUC), where he also holds appointments in the Materials Research Laboratory. Previously, he served as an Assistant Professor at Pennsylvania State University from 2018 to 2023. His academic journey includes postdoctoral research at UIUC and California Institute of Technology (Caltech).

Educated at Caltech, he earned a Ph.D. in Aeronautics in 2015 and an M.S. in Aeronautics in 2010.

His research focuses on soft electronics for aerospace engineering, bio-inspired aerospace structures, in-space manufacturing and assembly, and multifunctional space structures. These interests drive innovations in lightweight, adaptive, and multifunctional materials and systems for aerospace applications. For instance, his work explores bio-inspired cellular materials for aircraft wings and bistable composite booms for deployable structures.

He has been recognized with several honors, including the

• 2022 Young Investigator Award from the Office of Naval Research,
• 2019 Haythornthwaite Foundation Research Initiation Award,
• 2015 William F. Ballhaus Prize from Caltech,
• and the 2012 Dow-Resnick Fellowship.

In addition to research, Professor Ning teaches courses such as AE 323: Applied Aerospace Structures and AE 498: Space Structures. While specific grants are not detailed here, his work has been supported through awards like the ONR Young Investigator grant.

He collaborates with the Materials Research Laboratory at UIUC and engages in interdisciplinary projects involving soft electronics and bio-inspired engineering.