Wenjun Cai

Wenjun (Rebecca) Cai is an Associate Professor in the Department of Materials Science and Engineering at Virginia Tech. Her primary affiliation is with the College of Engineering. Previously, she held roles at the University of South Florida and earned her Ph.D. from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (2010) and B.S. from Fudan University, China (2005). She leads the Cai Research Group (caiw.mse.vt.edu), focusing on physical metallurgy, tribology, corrosion, and materials degradation under extreme conditions.

Education:

• B.S., Materials Science, Fudan University, China (2005)
• Ph.D., Materials Science Engineering, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (2010)

Research interests span tribocorrosion-resistant materials design, nanostructured coatings, high-entropy alloys, and multiphysics modeling. Her work emphasizes interfacial phenomena during wear/corrosion synergy, with applications in aerospace, biomedical, and energy sectors. Recent studies explore machine learning-driven alloy discovery and nano-layered material systems.

Her articles (2021–2023) highlight advancements in tribocorrosion mitigation strategies for aluminum alloys, high-temperature oxide coatings, and laser surface treatments. Key findings include novel self-lubricating superalloys and polymer-derived coatings reducing stress corrosion cracking.

Notable awards include the NSF CAREER Award (2015) and TMS Young Leaders Award (2017). She is an active member of TMS, MRS, and ASM International.

Advising and grants: Dr. Cai’s research is supported by NSF and industry partnerships. Her lab focuses on bridging computational models with experimental validation for accelerated materials development. Current projects include DOE-funded work on magnesium alloy surface engineering and AFOSR-supported studies on nanolayered metallic systems.

Labs/teams: The Cai Research Group collaborates with national labs (e.g., Oak Ridge National Lab) and industry partners to translate fundamental discoveries into practical applications. Key facilities include Virginia Tech’s Materials Characterization Core Lab and tribocorrosion testing facilities.