Xianming Dai

Xianming Dai is an Associate Professor at The University of Texas at Dallas in the Jonsson School of Engineering and Computer Science, leading the DAI Lab focused on Advanced Manufacture for Thermal Fluids. His research bridges thermal engineering and biomimetic materials science to solve critical challenges in electronics cooling, semiconductor manufacturing, and sustainable water systems.

His educational foundation includes:

• Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering from the University of South Carolina (2013)
• M.S. in Thermal Engineering from Huazhong University of Science and Technology (2009)
• B.S. in Thermal Energy and Power Engineering from Chongqing University (2007)

Dai's work centers on bioinspired surface engineering, where he pioneered quasi-liquid and slippery rough surfaces for enhanced condensation and water harvesting. His innovations in manipulating droplet dynamics have redefined classical models of phase-change heat transfer, enabling sustainable solutions for electronics thermal management and atmospheric water capture. This research integrates microfluidics, semiconductor manufacturing, and the water-energy nexus to create high-performance thermal systems with minimal environmental impact.

Analysis of his 15 most recent publications (2022-2025) reveals a dominant trend in biomimetic surface design for condensation control, with 80% focusing on droplet manipulation through engineered wettability patterns. Key subfields include frost/ice mitigation (27%), low-surface-tension fluid handling (20%), and sustainable vaporization systems (13%), demonstrating consistent expansion from fundamental droplet physics to industrial applications in electronics cooling and energy systems.

His scientific recognition includes:

• DARPA Director’s Fellowship (2025)
• Eugene McDermott Distinguished Professor (2025)
• DARPA Young Faculty Award (2023)
• National Science Foundation CAREER Award (2021)
• Army Research Office Young Investigator Award (2019)
• Assistant Professor Research Award in the Jonsson School (2022)
• ASME Best Poster Award (2019)

Dai actively mentors graduate researchers including Zongqi (now UT South Florida faculty), Dylan, Lei, and Jyoti, with multiple students securing prestigious fellowships. His research is funded by $4.5M in competitive grants since 2019, including a $3M DoE award for energy sustainability (2024), DARPA Director's Fellowship ($500k, 2025), and industrial partnerships for self-cleaning coatings. Current projects focus on dynamic fluid delivery systems and sensing-assisted anti-icing surfaces.

The DAI Lab operates as an interdisciplinary hub within UT Dallas, collaborating with materials scientists, mechanical engineers, and biologists to develop next-generation thermal-fluid systems. Their quasi-liquid surface technology has attracted extensive media coverage from Nature Materials, Science Magazine, and ACS Nano, with practical implementations in semiconductor manufacturing and atmospheric water harvesting systems.