Name: ZHANG Lei Title: Professor

Email: zhangleizzz@ncu.edu.cn

Supervisor Type: Doctoral/Master's Supervisor

Courses Taught: Principles of Material Forming, Introduction to the Major

Personal Website: https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Lei-Zhang-639

Research Directions

Our team's research primarily focuses on "Additive Manufacturing Robotic Metamaterials" (AMRM LAB), with applications in aerospace, automotive engineering, biomedical fields, energy, and environmental sectors. Specific areas include:

1. Robotic Intelligent Assembly, encompassing: autonomous robotic assembly; multi-robot collaborative operations, etc.

2. Mechanical Metamaterials with Artificial Microstructures, including structural optimization and AI-driven design; structural reliability analysis, etc.

3. Additive Manufacturing, such as selective laser melting (SLM), laser energy deposition, robotic welding, etc.

Education

2016.09 – 2021.06, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Materials Processing (Combined Master-Ph.D. Program), Ph.D

2012.09 – 2016.09, Northeastern University (China), Materials Forming and Control Engineering, B.Eng.

Work Experience

2024.12 ~ Present, Nanchang University, School of Advanced Manufacturing, Distinguished Professor

2022.12 ~ 2024.11, City University of Hong Kong, School of Mechanical Engineering, Postdoctoral Researcher

2021.09 ~ 2022.11, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, School of Materials Science and Engineering, Postdoctoral Researcher

Academic Service

1. Committee Member: Member of the Additive Manufacturing Branch, The Nonferrous Metals Society of China

2. Young Editorial Board Member: Journal of Materials Science & Technology、Additive Manufacturing Frontiers、Nano Materials Science、Rare Metals、Acta Metallurgica Sinica (English Letters)、材料工程、航空材料学报等

3. Guest Editor: Additive Manufacturing Frontiers, Special issues, “Biomimetic Additive Manufacturing”.

Honors & Awards

1. 2022 Hong Kong Scholars Program (Awarded by the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security, China)

2. 2024 Ganpo Talent - Leading Talent in Technological Innovation (Youth Category), Jiangxi Province

3. 2025 First Prize of Science and Technology Award (The Chinese Materials Research Society) (Ranked 3rd)

Summary of Achievements

Selected for the 2022 Hong Kong Scholars Program and the 2024 Ganpo Talent (Youth Category). His research focuses on "Robotic Metamaterials for Additive Manufacturing." He has secured 9 research grants as Principal Investigator or Sub-project Leader, including projects from the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Youth Program), National Major Science and Technology Projects, Jiangxi Provincial Key R&D Program, and foundational research projects for equipment pre-research.

He has published over 50 papers in prestigious journals such as Nature Communications, Science Advances, and Acta Materialia, with 16 as first, co-first, or corresponding author. His work has garnered over 2,100 citations with an H-index of 23. He holds more than 10 authorized invention patents and has co-edited 2 Chinese/English academic books (ranked 2nd and 3rd in authorship).

He serves as a Committee Member of the Additive Manufacturing Branch of The Nonferrous Metals Society of China, and as a Young Editorial Board Member for journals including Additive Manufacturing Frontiers and Rare Metals. He has been invited to serve as a Symposium Co-chair and deliver invited presentations at international conferences on more than 10 occasions. He received the 2025 First Prize of Science and Technology Award from The Chinese Materials Research Society (Ranked 3rd).

Research Projects：

1. National Natural Science Foundation of China (Youth Program), 2024–2026, Principal Investigator

2. National Major Science and Technology Project, 2025–2027, Sub-project Leader

3. Ganpo Talent - Leading Talent in Technological Innovation Project, Jiangxi Province, 2024–2026, Principal Investigator

4. Jiangxi Provincial Key R&D Program, 2025–2027, Principal Investigator

5. Open Fund of State Key Laboratory of Materials Processing and Die & Mould Technology, 2025–2027, Principal Investigator

6. Hong Kong Scholars Program (Awarded by the National Postdoctoral Management Committee, Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security), 2023–2024, Principal Investigator

7. JCJQ Key Basic Research Project, 2022–2026, Sub-project Leader

8. Equipment Pre-research Fund (Awarded by the Equipment Development Department), 2022–2024, Principal Investigator

9. XX Special Zone Project, 2021–2023, Sub-project Leader

Selected Publications：

2025:

1. Xi He#, Gan Li#, Lei Zhang#, Yuhe Huang#, Bingyu Xie, Zhifang Shi, Guanghui Feng, Wenbin Liu, Fucong Lyu, Shuo Wang, Zhengrong Yu, Junhua Luan, Chunlu Zhao, Hongxing Lu, Xiaogang Hu, Qiang Zhu, Jian Lu. Bio-inspired material- structure- function integrated additive manufacturing of Al-based metamaterials with surpassing energy absorption. Science Advances 2025, 11, eaea0430.

2. Xi Yuan, Guanghao Li, Lei Zhang*, Jun Song, Jiayi Chen, Jiale Zheng, Hanjing Li, Shibin Xie, Fuming Wang, Qing Wan, Fanrong Ai, Bo Song, Bin Zhang, Yusheng Shi. Spatial orientation on manufacturing fidelity and mechanical-transport-biological performances of 3D-printed microlattice structures. Composite Structures 2025, 372:119551.

3. Xuliang Chen#, Annan Chen#, Lei Zhang#, Hanyang Yu, Zhengyi Mao, Yuhan Chen, Jialun Gu, Chunze Yan, Jian Lu. Additive manufacturing of bionic interfaces: From conceptual understanding to renewable energy applications. Advanced Bionics, 2025, 1(1): 57-82.

2024:

4. Lei Zhang, Hanwen Liu, Bo Song, Jialun Gu, Lanxi Li, Wenhui Shi, Gan Li, Shiyu Zhong, Hui Liu, Xiaobo Wang, Junxiang Fan, Zhi Zhang, Pengfei Wang, Yonggang Yao, Yusheng Shi & Jian Lu. Wood-inspired metamaterial catalyst for robust and high-throughput water purification, Nature Communications, 2024, 15: 2046. (中科院1区，IF: 14.7)

2023:

5. Lei Zhang, Bingjin Wang, Bo Song, Yonggang Yao, Seung-Kyum Choi, Cao Yang, Yusheng Shi. 3D Printed Biomimetic Metamaterials with Graded Porosity and Tapering Topology for Improved Cell Seeding and Bone Regeneration. Bioactive Materials. 2023, 25: 677-688. (中科院1区，IF: 18.0)

6. Longxin Kan#, Lei Zhang#, Pengfei Wang, Qi Liu, Jihao Wang, Bin Su, Bo Song, Yusheng Shi. Robust superhydrophobicity through surface defects from laser powder bed fusion additive manufacturing. Biomimetics, 2023, 8(8), 598. (中科院3区，IF: 3.4)

2022:

7. Lei Zhang, Bo Song, Jinliang Zhang, Yonggang Yao, Jian Lu, Yusheng Shi. Decoupling Microlattice Metamaterial Properties Through the Structural Design Strategy Inspired by Hall-Petch Relation. Acta Materialia. 2022, 238: 118214. (中科院1区，IF: 8.3)

8. Lei Zhang, Bo Song, Seung-Kyum Choi, Yonggang Yao, Yusheng Shi. Anisotropy-inspired, simulation-guided design and 3D printing of microlattice metamaterials with tailored mechanical-transport performances. Composites Part B, 2022, 236: 109837. (中科院1区，IF: 12.7)

9. Zhi Zhang#, Lei Zhang#, Bo Song, Yonggang Yao, Yusheng Shi. Bamboo-inspired, simulation-guided design and 3D printing of light-weight and high-strength mechanical metamaterials. Applied Materials Today. 2022, 26, 101268. (中科院2区，IF: 7.2)

2019-2021:

10. Lei Zhang, Bo Song, Lei Yang, Yusheng Shi. Tailored mechanical response and mass transport characteristic of selective laser melted porous metallic biomaterials for bone scaffolds. Acta Biomaterialia, 2020, 112: 298-315. (中科院1区，IF: 9.4)

11. Lei Zhang, Bo Song, Ruijie Liu, Aiguo Zhao, Jinliang Zhang, Linrong Zhuo, Guiping Tang, Yusheng Shi. Effects of Structural Parameters on the Poisson's Ratio and Compressive Modulus of 2D Pentamode Structures Fabricated by Selective Laser Melting. Engineering, 2020, 6(1): 56-67. (中科院1区，IF: 10.1)

12. Lei Zhang, Bo Song, Seung-Kyum Choi, Yusheng Shi. A topology strategy to reduce stress shielding of additively manufactured porous metallic biomaterials. International Journal of Mechanical Sciences, 2021, 197: 106331. (中科院1区，IF: 7.1)

13. Lei Zhang, Bo Song, Aiguo Zhao, Ruijie Liu, Lei Yang, Yusheng Shi. Study on mechanical properties of honeycomb pentamode structures fabricated by laser additive manufacturing: Numerical simulation and experimental verification. Composite Structures, 2019, 226: 111199 (中科院1区，IF: 6.3)

14. Lei Zhang, Bo Song, Junjian Fu, Shuaishuai Wei, Lei Yang, Chunze Yan, Hao Li, Liang Gao, Yusheng Shi. Topology-optimized lattice structures with simultaneously high stiffness and light weight fabricated by selective laser melting: Design, manufacturing and characterization. Journal of Manufacturing Processes, 2020, 56: 1166-1177. (中科院1区，IF: 6.1)

# indicates co-first author，* indicates corresponding author

We welcome motivated postdoctoral researchers, PhD/Master's candidates, and outstanding undergraduates with backgrounds in mechanics, materials science, computer science, mechanical engineering, applied physics, or related fields to join our team. Those interested in our research directions are particularly encouraged to apply.

Address: School of Advanced Manufacturing, Nanchang University, No. 999 Xuefu Avenue, Honggutan New District, Nanchang, Jiangxi Province, China

Office: Room E433A, Electromechanical Building