Yakai Zhao, Ph.D.
Yakai Zhao, Ph.D.
(赵亚凯)
(赵亚凯)
Senior Scientist
Future Energy Acceleration and Translation (FEAT) &
Institute of Materials Research and Engineering (IMRE),
Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR),
Singapore
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Short Bio
Short Bio
Dr. Yakai Zhao is currently a Senior Scientist at Future Energy Acceleration and Translation (FEAT) and Institute of Materials Research and Engineering (IMRE), Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR), Singapore. He received his B.S. and Ph.D. degrees from Harbin Institute of Technology (China) and Hanyang University (South Korea), respectively. After a stint of post-doc at Beijing Institute of Technology, he joined Prof. Upadrasta Ramamurty’s group at Nanyang Technological University, Singapore, as a Research Fellow in 2019 and then a Senior Research Fellow since 2021. Dr. Zhao’s research focuses fundamentals and applications of micro-/nano-mechanics, hydrogen embrittlement of materials, and the design and characterization of high-entropy alloys and additively manufactured alloys. He has authored over 70 publications in leading journals such as Acta Materialia, Journal of Materials Science and Technology, International Journal of Plasticity, Additive Manufacturing, etc., achieving an H-index of 27. He serves on the Associate Editorial Board of Materials Research Letters and regularly reviews for top-tier journals including Acta Materialia, International Materials Review, International Journal of Plasticity. He was listed among the World’s Top 2% Scientists (2024) and named Outstanding Reviewer for Acta Materialia and Scripta Materialia (2020–2024).
Work Experience
Work Experience
Nov 2025 – present Testing and Analysis of Materials (TAM) Thrust Co-Investigator, Future Energy Acceleration and Translation (FEAT) Strategic Research and Translational Thrust (SRTT), Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR), Singapore
Jan 2025 – present Senior Scientist, Future Energy Acceleration and Translation (FEAT) Strategic Research and Translational Thrust (SRTT), Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR), Singapore
May 2023 – present Senior Scientist, Institute of Materials Research and Engineering (IMRE), Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR), Singapore
Jul 2021 – May 2023 Senior Research Fellow, School of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore
Jun 2019 – Jun 2021 Research Fellow, School of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore (Supervisor: Prof. Upadrasta Ramamurty)
Apr 2017 – Apr 2019 Postdoctoral Researcher, School of Materials Science and Engineering, Beijing Institute of Technology, China (Supervisor: Prof. Fuchi Wang)
Jul 2015 – Feb 2017 Visiting Researcher, High Temperature Energy Materials Research Center, Korea Institute of Science and Technology (KIST), South Korea (Mentor: Dr. Jin-Yoo Suh)
Education
Education
Sep. 2011 – Feb. 2017 Ph.D. in Materials Science and Engineering, Hanyang University, South Korea (Advisor: Prof. Jae-il Jang; Thesis: Influences of Hydrogen on the Nanomechanical Behavior of Advanced Structural Materials)
Sep. 2007 – Jul. 2011 B.Eng. in Materials Processing and Controlling Engineering, Harbin Institute of Technology, China
Research Interests
Research Interests
Mechanical behavior of materials in extreme environments
Fundamentals and applications of nano-/micro-mechanics
Hydrogen effects on mechanical behavior
Design, processing, and characterizations of advanced metallic materials
Additively manufactured (3D-printed) alloys
High-entropy alloys
Metal-matrix composite materials
Amorphous and nanocrystalline alloys
Activities, Services, and Awards
Activities, Services, and Awards
World’s Top 2% Scientist (Single Year) for 2024. (Link)
Young Editorial Member for Rare Metals (Jan 2026 – Dec2027).
Associate Editorial Board member for Materials Research Letters (Jan 2024 – Jan 2026). (News in Chinese)
Outstanding Reviewer Award for Acta Materialia and Scripta Materialia for 2020 (Acta Materilia, Scripta Materialia), 2021 (Acta Materilia, Scripta Materialia), 2022 (Acta Materilia, Scripta Materialia), 2023, and 2024.
Peer reviewer for: ACS Applied Nano Materials, Acta Materialia, Advanced Engineering Materials, Advances in Materials and Processing Technologies, Ceramics International, Communications Materials, CrystEngComm, Engineering Reports, Entropy, Intermetallics, International Journal of Hydrogen Energy, International Journal of Plasticity, International Materials Reviews, Journal of Alloys and Compounds, Journal of Materials Research and Technology, Journal of Materials Science, Materials, Materials Characterization, Materials Letters, Materials Research Letters, Materials Science and Engineering A, Materials Technology, Materials Today Communications, Metals and Materials International, Nuclear Instruments and Methods in Physics Research Section B, Philosophical Magazine Letters, Scientific Reports, Scripta Materialia, Steel Research International, etc.
Abstract Review Committee & Poster Judge, Singapore Scientific Conference 2025, Singapore, Dec 8–11 (2025). (Website)
Session Organizing Co-Chair, The 31st International Conference on Computational & Experimental Engineering Series (ICCES 2025), S66: In Situ Micro/Nanomechanics for Advanced Materials Design, Changsha, China, May 25–29 (2025). (Website)
Organising Committee member, Fracture and Fatigue of Materials Workshop, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore, August 25 (2023). (Program book)
Organising Committee member, Structural Metals and Alloys Programme (SMAP) Workshop 2023, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore, July 14 (2023). (Program book)
Organising Committee member, International Conference on Advances in Structural Alloys and Their Manufacturing (ASATM), Singapore, January 10–13 (2023). (Program book)
Organising Committee member, Structural Metals and Alloys Programme (SMAP) Workshop 2022, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore, June 1 (2022). (Program book)
Invited Talks and Seminars
Invited Talks and Seminars
Y. Zhao, “Application of micro/nano-mechanical tests in studying the hydrogen embrittlement of additively manufactured alloys,” Journal of Materials Science and Technology (JMST), Live Streaming Series for High-Performance Metal Additive Manufacturing and Corrosion (Online), April 8 (2025).
Y. Zhao, “Utilizing small-scale mechanical tests in studying the hydrogen embrittlement of additively manufactured alloys,” The 8h International Conference on Electronic Materials and Nanotechnology for Green Environment (ENGE 2024), Jeju, Korea, November 24–27 (2024).
Y. Zhao, Z. Gao, U. Ramamurty, J.-i. Jang, “Hydrogen effects on the nanomechanical behavior of nanostructured high-entropy alloys,” The 11th Pacific Rim International Conference on Advanced Materials and Processing (PRICM11), Jeju, Korea, November 19–23 (2023).
Y. Zhao, “Small-scale mechanical tests for understanding hydrogen embrittlement in high-entropy alloys and additively manufactured alloys,” Center for Energy Materials Research, Korea Institute of Science & Technology (KIST), Korea, November 28 (2023).
Y. Zhao, “Small-scale mechanical tests for understanding hydrogen embrittlement in high-entropy alloys and additively manufactured alloys,” Division of Materials Science and Engineering, Hanyang University, Korea, November 28 (2023).
Y. Zhao, “Nanomechanical studies of high-entropy alloys and additively manufactured alloys,” Department of Structural Engineering, Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU), Norway (Online), October 21 (2021).
Y. Zhao, “Application of nanoindentation in hydrogen embrittlement study: examples in metallic glass and high-entropy alloy,” Mechanical Testing at Small Length Scales Online Symposium (Organized by Bruker Corp. & IIT Delhi; Online), October 20–21 (2020).
Y. Zhao, “Is high-entropy alloy resistant to hydrogen embrittlement? A nanomechanical perspective,” Division of Materials Science and Engineering, Hanyang University, Korea, October 13 (2019).
Y. Zhao, “Influences of hydrogen on the nanomechanical behavior of high-entropy alloys,” Center for Frontier in Extreme Physics, Korea Research Institute of Standards and Science (KRISS), Korea, February 22 (2017).
Y. Zhao, “Influences of hydrogen on the nanomechanical behavior of high-entropy alloys,” High Temperature Energy Materials Research Center, Korea Institute of Science & Technology (KIST), Korea, February 10 (2017).
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