Grace Xiang Gu is an American mechanical engineer[1] who holds a Don M. Cunningham Endowed Professorship as an associate professor of mechanical engineering at the University of California, Berkeley.[2]
Research
editGu's research interests include bioinspiration and machine learning in engineering design, additive manufacturing, and the mechanical behavior of composite materials.[3][1] Her doctoral research included a study of the ways in which the shape of conch shells protects conches against impacts caused by tides, weather, and predators.[4] She has also studied the use of computer vision to detect and automatically correct errors in 3d printing,[5] microwave-absorbing tunable metamaterials,[6] and shark skin inspired methods for reducing drag in underwater devices.[7]
Education and career
editGu majored in mechanical engineering at the University of Michigan, graduating in 2012. She continued her studies in mechanical engineering at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, where she received a master's degree in 2014 and completed her Ph.D. in 2018.[8] Her dissertation, Bioinspired algorithmic-driven design of additively manufactured composites, was supervised by Markus J. Buehler.[9]
She has been a faculty member in mechanical engineering at the University of California, Berkeley since 2018.[8]
Recognition
editWith her coauthor Chun-Teh Chen, Gu was the 2020 recipient of the MRS Communications Lecture award of the Materials Research Society.[10] Gu was a 2020 recipient of the SME Outstanding Young Manufacturing Engineer Award of the Society of Manufacturing Engineers,[11] a 2025 recipient of the Advanced Science Young Innovator Award,[12] and a 2025 recipient of the Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers.[13]
References
edit- 1 2 Solomon, Dan (June 25, 2019), "Grace Gu: She's using AI to help dream up a new generation of lighter, stronger materials", Innovators under 35, MIT Technology Review, retrieved 2026-05-29
- ↑ "Grace X. Gu", People, UC Berkeley Mechanical Engineering, retrieved 2026-05-29
- ↑ Vo, Karen (February 10, 2023), Evolution on fast forward: Grace Gu engineers AI-optimized, bioinspired materials, CITRIS and the Banatao Institute, retrieved 2026-05-29
- ↑ Chandler, David L. (May 26, 2017), "Conch shells spill the secret to their toughness", MIT News, retrieved 2026-05-29
- ↑ Colyer, Jack (May 8, 2019), "Interview: Grace X. Gu, UC Berkeley, developer of a self-correcting 3D printer", 3d Printing Industry, retrieved 2026-05-29
- ↑ Ellery, Marni (January 15, 2025), "New electromagnetic material draws inspiration from the color-shifting chameleon", Engineering News, UC Berkeley Engineering, retrieved 2026-05-29
- ↑ Ellery, Marni (April 1, 2024), "Bioinspired design reduces drag and noise production for towed sonar arrays", Engineering News, UC Berkeley Engineering, retrieved 2026-05-29
- 1 2 "Curriculum vitae: Grace X. Gu" (PDF), Gu Research Group, UC Berkeley, July 2018, retrieved 2026-05-29
- ↑ Gu, Grace Xiang (2018), Bioinspired algorithmic-driven design of additively manufactured composites (PDF) (Ph.D. thesis), Massachusetts Institute of Technology, hdl:1721.1/119343
- ↑ ME Assistant Professor Grace X. Gu Named 2020 MRS Communications Lecturer, UC Berkeley Mechanical Engineering, retrieved 2026-05-29
- ↑ ME Assistant Professor Grace X. Gu Selected as 2020 SME Outstanding Young Manufacturing Engineer, UC Berkeley Mechanical Engineering, retrieved 2026-05-29
- ↑ Wiley Announces Winners of Advanced Science Young Innovator Award, Wiley, October 22, 2025, retrieved 2026-05-29
- ↑ "White House honors engineering faculty with early career awards", Engineering News, UC Berkeley Engineering, January 17, 2025, retrieved 2026-05-29
External links
edit- Gu Research Group
- Personal home page
- Grace Gu publications indexed by Google Scholar