Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering
Biography
Yingchao Yang is an associate professor in the John J. Boswell Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering at the University of Missouri (Mizzou). Prior to joining Mizzou, he served as an assistant professor at the University of Maine and as a postdoctoral research associate at Rice University.
Yang received his PhD degree in mechanical engineering from the University of South Carolina in 2013. Yang’s research centers on the design, fabrication, characterization, and application of advanced materials across multiple length scales. His current research focuses on four interconnected areas: high-entropy and compositionally complex materials, biomass-derived carbon and sustainable functional materials, nanostructured materials for energy and catalysis, and multifunctional materials for extreme environments. His group develops high-entropy oxides, hydroxides, and transition-metal chalcogenides to understand entropy-mediated structure-property relationships and enable applications in catalysis, energy, and magnetism. In parallel, renewable biomass is converted into porous carbon, biochar, and carbon-based hybrid materials for fire protection, thermal and acoustic management, environmental remediation, and energy applications. Nanomaterials and carbon-metal/ceramic heterostructures are further engineered through active-site, interface, and multiscale structural design. Ex situ and in situ mechanical characterization is also employed to understand the mechanical behavior, reliability, and durability of nanostructured and multifunctional materials.
Yang has secured externally funded research projects from agencies including the National Science Foundation (NSF), U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), and U.S. Department of the Interior, as well as U.S. national laboratories. His research has been supported through collaborations and user programs at Oak Ridge National Laboratory and other national laboratories. Yang is a recipient of the NSF CAREER Award.
Education
Ph.D. in mechanical engineering from University of South Carolina
M.S. in materials science from Harbin Institute of Technology, China
B.S. in materials science from Wuhan University of Science and Technology, China
Technical Focus
Biomass-derived carbon and sustainable functional materials
High-entropy and compositionally complex materials
Multifunctional materials under extreme environments