Programming soft matter through 3D printing
I'm a Ph.D. candidate in materials science and mechanical engineering at Harvard John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, focusing on the intersection of digital fabrication, advanced materials, and novel computational techniques to design the next generation of customizable robotics and advanced material applications.
Rotational Multi-material 3D Printing of Soft Robotic Matter with Asymmetrical Embedded Pneumatics
JK Wilt*, NM Larson*, JA Lewis
arXiv (2025)
ActiveCheerios: 3D-Printed Marangoni-Driven Active Particles at an Interface
JK Wilt, N Schramma, J Bottermans, M Jalaal
arXiv (2024)
Shape Memory Soft Robotics with Yield Stress Fluids
JK Wilt, JTB Overvelde, C Coulais
Advanced Intelligent Systems
JK Wilt, NS Hmeidat, JW Bohling, BG Compton
Additive Manufacturing Letters
BG Compton, JK Wilt, JW Kemp, NS Hmeidat, SR Maness, M Edmond, S Wilcenski, J Taylor
MRS Communications
Closed-loop additive manufacturing of upcycled commodity plastic through dynamic cross-linking
S Kim, MA Rahman, M Arifuzzaman, DB Gilmer, B Li, JK Wilt, E Lara-Curzio, T Saito
Science Advances
Accelerating auxetic metamaterial design with deep learning
JK Wilt, C Yang, GX Gu
Advanced Engineering Materials 22 (5), 1901266
B Brown, NS Hmeidat, X Jia, JK Wilt, M Roberts, BG Compton, N Vermaak
Materials & Design
ActiveCheerios: 3D-Printed Marangoni-Driven Active Particles at an Interface
Jackson Kyle Wilt, Nico Schramma, Jan-Willem Bottermans, Maziyar Jalaal
Preprint, November 2024.
This work introduces self-propelled particles designed and manufactured through 3D printing to move on the air-water interface, exhibiting rich dynamics and collective behaviors driven by physicochemical mechanisms.
Photoinitiator-Free Light-Mediated Crosslinking of Dynamic Polymer and Pristine Protein Networks
Riccardo Rizzo, Dylan M. Barber, Jackson Kyle Wilt, Alexander J. Ainscough, Jennifer A. Lewis
Biomaterials Science, 2025.
This study reports a photoinitiator- and radical-free biocompatible crosslinking method based on ortho-nitrobenzyl alcohol, providing a versatile approach to generate dynamic hydrogels and crosslink pristine proteins for biomedical applications.
High Through-Thickness Thermal Conductivity of 3D-Printed Composites via Rotational Direct Ink Writing
Jackson Kyle Wilt, Nadim S. Hmeidat, John W. Bohling, Brett G. Compton
Additive Manufacturing Letters, 2023.
This article presents a method to enhance the thermal conductivity of 3D-printed composites using rotational direct ink writing techniques.
Shape Memory Soft Robotics with Yield Stress Fluids
Jackson Kyle Wilt, Johannes T.B. Overvelde, Corentin Coulais
Advanced Intelligent Systems, 2023.
This research explores the use of yield stress fluids to manufacture and operate soft devices that can change shape in response to external stimuli, inspired by biological movement.
Closed-Loop Additive Manufacturing of Upcycled Commodity Plastic Through Dynamic Cross-Linking
Sungjin Kim, Md Anisur Rahman, Md Arifuzzaman, Dustin Blake Gilmer, Bingrui Li, Jackson Kyle Wilt, Tomonori Saito
Science Advances, 2022.
This study demonstrates a sustainable closed-loop manufacturing process by upcycling commodity plastics into higher-performance materials suitable for additive manufacturing.
Experimental Investigations of the Effectiveness of Simultaneous Topology/Orientation Optimization via SOMP and Principal Stress Directions
Bailey Brown, Nadim S. Hmeidat, Xiu Jia, Jackson Kyle Wilt, Matthew Roberts, Brett G. Compton, Natasha Vermaak
Materials & Design, 2022.
This article analyzes simultaneous topology and orientation optimization based on a principal stress method within the Solid Orthotropic Material with Penalization (SOMP) framework.
Accuracy of Stereolithography Printed Alumina with Digital Light Processing
Corson L. Cramer, Jackson Kyle Wilt, Quinn A. Campbell, Lijun Han, Tomonori Saito, Andrew T. Nelson
Open Ceramics, 2021.
This study evaluates the dimensional accuracy of alumina components fabricated using digital light processing stereolithography.
Direct Ink Writing Techniques for In Situ Gelation and Solidification
Jackson Kyle Wilt, Dustin Blake Gilmer, Sungjin Kim, Brett G. Compton, Tomonori Saito
MRS Communications, 2021.
This paper discusses direct ink writing (DIW) methods that enable in situ gelation and solidification, enhancing the structural integrity of printed materials.
Mechanical and Thermal Properties of 3D-Printed Epoxy Composites Reinforced with Boron Nitride Nanobarbs
Brett G. Compton, Jackson Kyle Wilt, James W. Kemp, Nadim S. Hmeidat, Scott R. Maness, Michael Edmond, Jason Taylor
MRS Communications, 2021.
This research presents epoxy-based composite inks reinforced with boron nitride nanobarbs for direct-ink write additive manufacturing, characterized for thermal conductivity and mechanical properties.
Accelerating Auxetic Metamaterial Design with Deep Learning
Jackson Kyle Wilt, Charles Yang, Grace X. Gu
Advanced Engineering Materials, 2020.
This study employs machine learning to expedite the design of auxetic metamaterials, which exhibit negative Poisson's ratio behavior.
Diffusion Kinetics of Transient Liquid Phase Bonding of Ni-Based Superalloy with Ni Nanoparticles: A Molecular Dynamics Perspective
Jiaqi Wang, Seungha Shin, Anming Hu, Jackson Kyle Wilt
Computational Materials Science, 2018.
This article examines the diffusion kinetics of transient liquid phase bonding in nickel-based superalloys using molecular dynamics simulations.