Tian Chen

Dr. Tian Chen is the Kamel Salama Endowed Assistant Professor of Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering at the University of Houston, leading the Architected Intelligent Matter (A.I.M.) Laboratory. His research focuses on programmable matter, combining mechanics, computational design, and materials science to create adaptive materials. He holds a Ph.D. from ETH Zurich, an M.S. from Delft University of Technology, and a B.A.Sc. from the University of Toronto.

Education:

• Ph.D., Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Zurich (ETH Zurich)
• M.S., Delft University of Technology
• B.A.Sc., University of Toronto

Research Interests: Dr. Chen’s work explores programmable shape transformation of surfaces and mechanical behavior of architected materials. His lab develops materials with digitally controlled functionalities, such as temperature-responsive architectures and self-reconfigurable systems. Applications span aerospace, robotics, and biomedical engineering.

Awards & Honors:

• Haythornthwaite Foundation Research Initiation Grant
• Swiss National Science Foundation Post-Doc Mobility Fellowship
• ETH Medal for Outstanding Doctoral Thesis
• Cum Laude, Delft University of Technology

Grants & Advising: His research is funded by NSF, NASA, and the Haythornthwaite Foundation. He advises students in mechanical engineering and collaborates on projects involving 4D printing, metamaterials, and smart structures.

Labs & Teams: The A.I.M. Lab at UH focuses on interdisciplinary research in intelligent matter, with ongoing collaborations in computational design and materials science.