Academics
Current Research Focuses
- Digital fabrication: planning, optimization, design
- Liquid metals and its 3D printing
Selected Publications
(*: equal contribution; full list available on my Google Scholar)
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Zefang Li, Jochen Mueller, “Print Path Planning and Nozzle Offset Design for Multimaterial Lattices,” Virtual and Physical Prototyping, accepted, 2026.
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Zefang Li, Rohit Berlia, Timothy Weihs, Jochen Mueller, “Effect of Processing Parameters on Microstructure and Hardness in Metal Extrusion Additive Manufacturing of Thin-Walled 4043 Aluminum,” Proceedings of the ASME 2026 21st International Manufacturing Science and Engineering Conference (MSEC), accepted, 2026.
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Zefang Li, Rohit Berlia, Colin Goodman, Mark Foster, Timothy Weihs, Jochen Mueller, “A Thermally Informed Framework for Stable Metal Extrusion Additive Manufacturing of Thin-Walled Aluminum Alloys,” Journal of Manufacturing Processes, Vol. 172, 2026. link
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Zefang Li, Leshan Zhao, Christos Kakogiannis, Timothy Weihs, Jochen Mueller, “3D-Printable Oil-in-Liquid Metal Foam Emulsions,” Matter, 102420, 2025. link
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Zefang Li, Ziying Xu, Sarah Propst, Zachariah A. Page, Yun Chen, Carmel Majidi, Jochen Mueller, “Ultrawide Property Range Thiol-Ene Photopolymers for 3D Printing,” Advanced Materials Technologies, e00422. link
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Yiwen Song*, Zefang Li*, Mason Zadan, Jingxian Wang, Swarun Kumar, Carmel Majidi, “Frequency-Selective Actuation of Liquid Crystalline Elastomer Actuators with Radiofrequency,” Nature Communications, 16, 7292. link
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Zefang Li, Gina Olson, Dinesh K. Patel, Lining Yao, Carmel Majidi, “Electrically Controlled Liquid Crystal Elastomer Surfaces for Dynamic Wrinkling,” Advanced Intelligent Systems, 6 (2), 2200402. link
Selected Talks & Presentations
- “Effect of Processing Parameters on Microstructure and Hardness in Metal Extrusion Additive Manufacturing of Thin-Walled 4043 Aluminum”, 2026 21st International Manufacturing Science and Engineering Conference.
- “Metal Extrusion Additive Manufacturing,” MSEE Annual Technical Review, 2025 & 2026
- “Ultrawide Property Range Thiol-Ene Photopolymers for 3D Printing,” DOM/WSE Research Retreat and Poster Session (JHU), 2025
- “A Polymeric 3D Printing Material System Exhibiting an Extensive Range of Mechanical Properties,” MRS Fall Meeting & Exhibit, 2024
Selected Awards
- Richard D. Hickman Fellowship, JHU, 2025
- Joseph Meyerhoff Fellowship, JHU, 2023
- MechE MS Summer Research Fellowship, CMU, 2022
- Outstanding Graduate of Shanghai (<5%), SJTU, 2021
- Outstanding Teaching Assistant Award, SJTU, 2021
Teaching
- Teaching Assistant: Machine Learning and Artificial Intelligence for Engineers, Numerical Methods, CMU
- Volunteer Teacher: Gelfand Outreach Fall Saturday Series, “Engineering Materials for Soft Robotics,” CMU
- Teaching Assistant: Modeling, Analysis and Control of Dynamic Systems, Introduction to Dynamics and Vibrations, Branding and Brand Management, SJTU
- Volunteer Teacher: English and math for grade 2–6 students, Haikou Central Elementary School, Eryuan, China
Mentoring
- Mentored 4 undergrad students and 2 master’s students for research credits or internship.
Areas of Expertise
Experimental
- Synthesis of 3D-printing polymers (especially thiol-ene systems) and liquid metals
- Material characterization:
- Differential scanning calorimetry
- Dynamic mechanical analysis
- Thermogravimetric analysis
- Nanoindentation
- Scanning electron microscopy & energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy
- Micro-computed tomography
- Rheometry
- Material testing (Instron, MTS)
- Fabrication:
- 3D printing — direct ink writing (Aerotech, Hyrel, Voltera) and vat photopolymerization (Phrozen, Prusa, Formlabs, Objet)
- Soft lithography, manual fabrication
Computational
- Geometry processing: path planning and slicing algorithms, thermal simulation for 3D printing
- Deep learning: PyTorch
- CAD/CAM/FEA: SOLIDWORKS, COMSOL, ANSYS, EAGLE
- Programming: Python, MATLAB, C/C++