Wonmo Kang

Wonmo Kang is an Associate Professor at the School for Engineering of Matter, Transport and Energy within Arizona State University. His research program investigates functional materials for energy and manufacturing applications, alongside biomaterials and biomechanics for injury and wound healing mechanisms. Prior to his appointment at ASU, he served as a leading scientist at the US Naval Research Laboratory, where he received multiple technical publication awards.

His educational qualifications include:

• Ph.D. in Mechanical Science and Engineering from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (2012)

Prof. Kang's research is centered on experimental mechanics with two primary thrusts:

• Blunt injury and wound healing mechanisms: Utilizing 3D tissue simulant and cell culture systems subjected to rapid mechanical loading to understand traumatic brain injury and develop protective solutions.
• Microstructure-property relations of nano/micro-materials: Focusing on manufacturing and energy applications through in situ materials characterization in scanning and transmission electron microscopes.

His expertise spans Mechanics of Composite Materials, Micro and Nanoscale Bioengineering, Nanotechnology, and Thin Film Materials, enabling innovative approaches to materials design and biomechanical analysis.

His publication record demonstrates a strong interdisciplinary focus, particularly in the development of advanced graphene-metal composites for high-power transmission and the study of cavitation phenomena in soft biomaterials relevant to traumatic brain injury. These works leverage cutting-edge in situ characterization techniques to unravel fundamental mechanisms at micro and nano scales.

Notable recognitions include:

• NSF Career Award (2024)
• U.S. Air Force Research Lab Summer Faculty Fellowship (2021)
• Leidos Technical Publication Competition Awards (2018, 2019)
• Best Poster Awards at the International Symposium on Traumatic Brain Injury (2019) and Nanotechnology for Defense Conference (2014)
• Outstanding ME PhD Award from UIUC (2013)

Prof. Kang maintains an active research group supported by multiple grants from the Office of Naval Research (ONR), National Science Foundation (NSF), and Air Force Research Lab (AFRL). Current projects include a $450k ONR award for "The mechanisms of electrical and mechanical coupling in bi-continuous graphene-metal composite fibers" and a $516k DURIP award for "Synthesis and Performance Evaluation of Graphene-Metal Composite Structures for Smart Helmet Applications". He has successfully mentored several graduate students to completion, including PhD candidate Chunghwan Kim (2023), and actively involves undergraduate researchers through ASU's FURI program.

His laboratory at ASU fosters a collaborative environment with researchers spanning postdoctoral fellows, PhD candidates, and undergraduate scholars. The team maintains strong partnerships with federal laboratories including NRL and AFRL, and has presented work at numerous national and international venues. Ongoing efforts focus on translating fundamental materials insights into next-generation protective systems and energy solutions.