Pai Wang

Pai Wang is a Professor in the Department of Mechanical Engineering at the University of Utah, leading the Utah Waves & Architected Materials Lab. Their research focuses on wave mechanics, phononic crystals, acoustic metamaterials, and topological mechanics for noise control, vibration reduction, and acoustic diagnostics.

• Ph.D. & M.Sc., School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, Harvard University

Research spans tunable wave propagation systems, nonlinear dynamics in metamaterials, and inverse design methodologies for phononic crystals. Recent work explores quantum computing applications in structural engineering and bio-inspired mechanical materials.

• Experimental observation of negative rotational inertia
• Multi-stable architected materials for energy trapping
• Nonlocal phononic crystal design for customizable dispersion relations

Pai Wang's lab develops advanced manufacturing techniques for metamaterials and investigates wave propagation in complex structures, including fractal-inspired and cubic-symmetric systems.