To further enhance the innovative capacity of the company’s researchers and keep abreast of cutting-edge interdisciplinary research hotspots, Associate Researcher Liu Shaobao from the College of Aerospace Engineering, Nanjing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics was invited to visit our company on the afternoon of June 9. He conducted in-depth discussions with our R&D staff covering bionic structural design, biomechanics, medicine-engineering integration and other relevant fields.

This exchange broadened the team’s academic horizons, clarified future bilateral cooperation directions, and boosted the advancement of bionic materials and biomechanics tailored for aerospace applications.

Guided by Ji Keju, person-in-charge of the company, Dr. Liu Shaobao first toured the exhibition hall of the Industry-University-Research Base as well as the Advanced Manufacturing Center. Our team presented featured products and high-precision sophisticated manufacturing equipment deployed on the platform. Dr. Liu acquired detailed knowledge regarding high-precision 3D printing systems, picosecond laser processing equipment, lithography machines and their supporting technologies, and elaborated on potential opportunities and existing challenges for future bilateral cooperation.

Following the site visit, our research team held in-depth discussions with Dr. Liu focusing on bionic structures and biomechanics. Both sides fully demonstrated and deliberated on detailed plans for cooperative application of bionic engineering. A consensus was reached to carry out cooperation via hardware platform sharing and complementary disciplinary strengths. In addition, both parties prospected the significant impacts of cooperative achievements on the integrated development of industry, university and research.

Appendix: Profile of Dr. Liu Shaobao

Dr. Liu Shaobao holds a doctoral degree and works as an Associate Researcher. His primary research directions include mechanics of soft aerial vehicles, thermal-fluid-solid coupling theories of porous materials, cellular and nuclear mechanics, plant mechanics, etc. He has presided over 5 research projects including programs funded by the National Natural Science Foundation of China and the Natural Science Foundation of Jiangsu Province, and participated as a core member in one Key Program of the National Natural Science Foundation of China.

He has published more than 40 academic papers in domestic and international journals such as Applied Mechanics Reviews, Journal of the Mechanics and Physics of Solids (5 papers), Soft Matter, Nonlinear Dynamics, Physics of Fluids, ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces, ACS Biomaterials Science & Engineering, Plant, Cell & Environment, Journal of the Mechanical Behavior of Biomedical Materials, Biophysical Journal, Acta Mechanica Sinica, Acta Physica Sinica, Chinese Journal of Theoretical and Applied Mechanics, alongside 2 book chapters. Six of his papers have been selected as cover articles.

He serves as a peer reviewer for top journals in relevant disciplines including New Phytologist, Nonlinear Dynamics and Biophysical Journal, and is an editorial board member of the journal Applied Mathematics and Mechanics. He was awarded the Excellent Young Scholar Paper Award at the 2018 National Biomechanics Conference and was selected for the Jiangsu Provincial Innovation and Entrepreneurship Doctor Program in 2019.

His research relies on two key platforms: the State Key Laboratory of Mechanics and Control of Mechanical Structures and the Key Laboratory of Multifunctional Lightweight Materials and Structures of the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology. His research group, the Research Center for Multifunctional Lightweight Materials and Structures, is an interdisciplinary research center for mechanics strongly supported by Nanjing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics. The group leader, Professor Lu Tianjian, is a leading domestic academic pioneer specializing in ultra-light porous materials and structures, as well as thermal-mechanical-electrical coupling in biological tissues.