Dr. Shaoting Lin holds the position of Assistant Professor in the Department of Mechanical Engineering at Michigan State University. He earned his Ph.D. degree (2019) at MIT and got his M.S. degree (2013) and B.S. degree (2010) at Tsinghua University. Dr. Lin has been focused on fundamental problems associated with the mechanical failures of soft materials and the longevity of soft machines. The research in Lin Research Group at MSU, at the intersection of solid mechanics, polymer science, and advanced manufacturing, aims to understand the processing-structure-property relationships of soft materials, thereby pushing the limit of mechanical and physical properties of soft materials. Our mission is to leverage Extreme Soft Materials for developing next-generation technologies including in-situ hydrogel bioelectronics, physics-empowered tactile robots, and high-precision sperm selection. As first/corresponding authors, we published papers in leading journals such as Science, Sci. Adv., Nat. Commun., Nat. Nanotechnol., PNAS, Adv. Mater., JMPS. Dr. Lin was the recipient of the Chinese Government Award for Outstanding Self-Financed Students Abroad (2018), the co-founder of the EASF_Young Webinar (2020), the Executive Editorial Board Member of Giant (2022), the Editor of the ASME Technical Committee of Mechanics of Soft Materials (2023), the Secretary of the ASME Technical Committee of Mechanics of Soft Materials (2024), the Vice Chair of the ASME Technical Committee of Mechanics of Soft Materials (2025), and the NSF Faculty Early Career Award (2024).
Zhaohan Yu (Postdoctoral Research Associate, MSU)
Email: yuzhaoha@msu.edu
Zhaohan is currently a Postdoctoral Research Associate in Mechanical Engineering at MSU. Dr. Yu earned her Ph.D. degree in 2022 and B.S. degree in Materials Processing Engineering from Huazhong University of Science and Technology. Her research focuses on the design, fabrication, and manufacturing of soft materials, with a particular focus on their applications in healthcare and sustainability.
Jie Ma (Postdoctoral Research Associate, MSU)
Email: majie@msu.edu
Jie is currently a Postdoctoral Research Associate in Mechanical Engineering at MSU. Dr. Ma earned her Ph.D. degree in 2023 in Solid Mechanics from Zhejiang University and B.S. degree in Engineering Mechanics from China University of Petroleum East China. Her research focuses on the theory and experiment for understanding mechano-transport in soft materials. She welcomes academic discussions and inspirations on research topics. She enjoys outdoor activities including climbing, fitting, and cycling.
Jiabin Liu (PhD Student, Mechanical Engineering, MSU)
Email: liujiab1@msu.edu
Jiabin is currently a PhD student in Mechanical Engineering at MSU, supervised by Dr. Shaoting Lin. She joined Lin Research Group in the Fall of 2022 after receiving two Master's degrees in Electrical Engineering at Tsinghua University and Northwestern University. Her research interests include high-performing color-changing soft materials for distributed sensing. She likes hiking, watching TV shows, baking, and creating funny ideas!
Chuwei Ye (PhD student, Mechanical Engineering, MSU)
Email: yechuwei@msu.edu
Chuwei is currently a PhD student in Mechanical Engineering at MSU, co-supervised by Dr. Shaoting Lin and Dr. Zhaojian Li. He received his Master's degree and Bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering from Zhejiang University in 2020 and 2017, respectively. His research interests include biosensing and system integration.
Tsz Hung Wong, Jeremy (PhD student, Mechanical Engineering, MSU)
Email: tszwong@msu.edu
Jeremy is currently a PhD student in Mechanical Engineering at MSU, supervised by Dr. Shaoting Lin. He received his Master of Philosophy degree and Bachelor’s degree in biomedical engineering from City University of Hong Kong in 2022 and 2020, respectively. His research interests include flexible electronics, hydrogel-based sensors, and in-situ hydrogel bioelectronics.
Taha Najam (PhD student, Mechanical Engineering, MSU)
Email: najamtah@msu.edu
Taha is currently a PhD student in Mechanical Engineering at MSU, advised by Dr. Shaoting Lin. He earned his master's degree in Aerospace Engineering from King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals, specializing in multifunctional nanocomposites. His current research focuses on additive manufacturing technologies of architectures with slidable crosslinkers, integrating both experimental and computational approaches. Taha is passionate about developing innovative materials and processes with potential future industrial applications in composite manufacturing.
Mounika Yallamandhala (Professional Aide, Mechanical Engineering, MSU)
Email: yallaman@msu.edu
Mounika is currently a Professional Aide in the Department of Mechanical Engineering at Michigan State University, working under the guidance of Dr. Shaoting Lin. She holds a master’s degree in Business Data Science and Analytics from Michigan State University and a bachelor’s degree in Electronics and Instrumentation from BITS Pilani. She has been actively contributing to the NSF-funded research project, "Intelligent Social Network Interventions", at MSU. She is passionate about data-driven research, strategic decision-making, and exploring innovative solutions to complex problems. She is continually driven by a curiosity to learn, explore new ideas, and embrace enriching experiences.
Zander Sherburne (Professional Aide, Mechanical Engineering, MSU)
Email: alexandersherburne@gmail.com
Zander is currently a Professional Aide of Dr. Shaoting Lin's laboratory with a degree in human biology. He received his bachelor's degree from Michigan State University and is working towards attending medical school in the spring of 2026. He is excited about researching the intersections of mechanical engineering and medicine and developing a broad understanding of the sciences to aid in his future experiences.
Ziwu Zheng (Undergraduate student, Biomedical Laboratory Science, MSU)
Email: zhengale@msu.edu
Ziwu is a current undergraduate student majoring in biomedical laboratory science and minoring in physics at MSU. She delves into various fields in STEM. She looks forward to developing links to her future, learning and gaining more experience by joining Dr. Lin's research group.
Nayan Mallya (Undergraduate student, Chemical Engineering, MSU)
Email: mallyan1@msu.edu
Nayan is a current undergraduate student studying Chemical Engineering at MSU with a concentration in biomedical engineering and Biochemistry/Biotechnology. He is very passionate about one day becoming a physician and eventually going on to create new medicines. He is very passionate about revolutionizing medicine in any way he can.
Ruihao Lu (Undergraduate student, Biomedical Laboratory Science, MSU)
Email: luruihao@msu.edu
Ruihao Lu is a dedicated student majoring in Biomedical Laboratory Science, pursuing a pre-med track. His academic journey is fueled by a deep fascination with organism chemistry and hematology, alongside an avid interest in researching psychopathology. Additionally, he possesses strong skills in data analysis, which aid significantly in my scientific endeavors. This passion steers his goal of attending medical school post-graduation to earn an MD, aspiring to specialize in psychiatry. Outside the rigors of academia, he cherishes spending quality time with friends and engaging in a variety of outdoor activities. He has a strong affinity for boxing, he enjoys playing the guitar and electric bass, and shares his musical talents as an uploader. Balancing his academic pursuits with these enriching hobbies allows his to maintain a well-rounded and fulfilling lifestyle.
Will Linson (Undergraduate student, Mechanical Engineering, MSU)
Email: linsonwi@msu.edu
Will Linson is a Michigan State student studying mechanical engineering. His interests include the design and development of domestic and export locomotives. He intends to link his education and research with his future goals of creating more sustainable, efficient, and eco-friendly rail transportation. He is looking forward to making connections within the STEM fields to improve logistics and transportation systems globally. Eventually, he plans to pursue a master’s degree in Railroad Transportation Engineering (RTE).
Parth Singh (Undergraduate student, Mechanical Engineering, MSU)
Email: singhpa4@msu.edu
Parth Singh is an undergraduate research assistant studying Mechanical engineering at MSU. He is currently working on projects related to hydrogels, soft materials, and their mechanics. In his free time, he enjoys playing sports, video games, and reading books. Parth is passionate about developing new technologies that can impact the lives of people all over the world.
Reed Drouare (Undergraduate student, Mechanical Engineering, MSU)
Email: drouarer@msu.edu
Reed is a current undergraduate student studying Mechanical Engineering with a minor in Entrepreneurship at Michigan State University. He intends to go to graduate school to deepen his technical and leadership skills. In the future, he plans to use his engineering background to develop a product and one day launch a company that makes a positive impact on people’s lives. In his free time, he loves spending time with friends and playing spikeball.
Sujal Soni (Undergraduate student, Mechanical Engineering, MSU)
Email: sonisuja@msu.edu
Sujal Soni is a current current undergraduate student majoring in Mechanical Engineering. Recently, Sujal completed an internship with enFocus Inc. in South Bend, Indiana, where they collaborated with Industry Labs at Notre Dame on surface processes involving cobots. Moving forward, Sujal will focus on synthesizing platforms for analyzing the relationships between image patterns and friction coefficients. Passionate about manufacturing, Sujal aspires to pursue a career in manufacturing engineering after graduation.
Camryn Anway (Undergraduate student, Mechanical Engineering, MSU)
Email: anwaycam@msu.edu
Camryn Anway is an undergraduate student at Michigan State University studying mechanical engineering, with a biomedical concentration. Camryn joined Lin Research Group as a Professional Assistant. She is currently interested in pursuing a career as a biomedical engineer. Her current research is surrounding hydrogels and their mechanics.
Aditya Swarnkar (Undergraduate student, Mechanical Engineering, MSU)
Email: swarnkar@msu.edu
Aditya is an undergraduate student in Mechanical Engineering at Michigan State University, supervised by Dr. Shaoting Lin. He is passionate about exploring new engineering concepts with particular interests lie in sustainability and design. His current project focuses on polymer mechanics of soft materials.
Clara Liao (Undergraduate student, Environmental Engineering, University of Michigan)
Email: clayliao@umich.edu
Clara is an undergraduate student studying environmental engineering at the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor. Her research interests revolve around sustainability, and she has worked on organic waste reutilization and clean energy in the past. Currently she is exploring pollutant sensing, supervised by Dr. Shaoting Lin at MSU. In her free time, she enjoys playing ultimate frisbee, equestrian sport, and hanging out with friends.
Nicole Hanshaw (Undergraduate student, Chemical Engineering, MSU)
Email: hanshaw1@msu.edu
Nicole is an undergraduate student in Chemical Engineering at MSU, supervised by Dr. Shaoting Lin. She took MSE 250 in Madrid, Spain in Summer 2022, which sparked her interest in polymer science. She is also interested in distillation, which she will further explore by taking the brewing and distilling class offered at MSU. Her current project focuses on mechano-transport in hydrogels.
Aditya Tarle (Undergraduate student, Mechanical Engineering, MSU)
Email: tarleadi@msu.edu
Aditya is an undergraduate student in Mechanical Engineering at MSU, supervised by Dr. Shaoting Lin. He focuses on FEA modeling of fracture in soft tough materials. Aditya has been studying mechanical engineering with a concentration in aerodynamics. His main interest lies in cars and racing and hopes to use his skills to achieve success at the upper echelons of motorsport.
Sean Blanchard (Undergraduate student, Mechanical Engineering, MSU)
Email: blanc124@msu.edu
Sean is an undergraduate student in Mechanical Engineering at MSU, supervised by Dr. Shaoting Lin. He focuses on design and characterization of transport in hydrogels. Sean plan to work in the automotive industry after graduation. Sean is passionate about robotics and engine design.