Xianming (David) Bai

Xianming (David) Bai is an Associate Professor in the Department of Materials Science and Engineering at Virginia Tech's College of Engineering. His work focuses on computational materials science across atomistic to mesoscale levels, with expertise in radiation effects in nuclear materials, defect modeling, and thermal transport in ceramics.

• B.S., Fudan University
• M.S., Fudan University
• M.S., Johns Hopkins University
• Ph.D., Georgia Institute of Technology

His research explores radiation-induced defect evolution in metals/oxides, phase transformations, and grain boundary mechanics. Recent work combines machine learning with kinetic Monte Carlo simulations for diffusion studies in high-entropy alloys and develops mesoscale thermal conductivity models for nuclear fuels.

He has received multiple honors including the NSF CAREER Award (2019), ICTAS Junior Faculty Award (2020), and TMS Young Leader Award (2015). His group contributes to nuclear fuel modeling tools like MARMOT and Grizzly, with applications in reactor safety and Generation IV reactors.