Nan Hu

Nan Hu is currently a full professor at the Department of Civil Engineering and associate dean (undergraduate studies and global relations) at South China University of Technology, China. Prior to this position, he was a tenure-track assistant professor in the Department of Civil, Environmental, and Geodetic Engineering at the Ohio State University, USA. His Versatile Structures Lab focuses on the multidisciplinary front of innovative structures and materials, particularly tailoring the design and characterization of modular architected materials to achieve programmable properties and functionalities for next-generation resilient and adaptive structures in a wide range of length scales. He has published over 80 journal papers and 30 patents. He is actively involved with ASCE and has served on five different technical committees.   

Structures are all around us at multiple length scales, ranging from the magnificent Eiffel Tower to a biomedical robot that 

can deliver drugs inside your body. Advanced structural design and fabrication is a pressing necessity as we entered a new

 era of increased demands on products with versatility like the Swiss Army knife that can handle multiple tasks. This implies

 that the future of structural design is to discover new classes of geometric forms whose properties can be tailored for 

improved performance and multi-functional features.

The Versatile Structures Lab led by Prof. Nan Hu is thus motivated to push the boundaries of the emerging extreme 

mechanics movement by exploiting geometric forms and their mechanical performance with the aim of developing

 innovative materials, devices and systems at various length scales. We are dedicated to define a future frontier of 

structural engineering by demonstrating how this discipline can go beyond the traditional task of designing large-scale 

structures and move into a holistic interdisciplinary platform.

Core directions:

1. Data-driven structural design and manufacturing

2. High-performance structures with tailorable properties

3. Adaptive structures toward complex environments

Broader Interests:

1. Stretchable, wearable or implantable electronics

2. Multifunctional soft robots

3. Self-assembly of materials and devices

4. Active and responsive materials

Lab Website：https://www.x-mol.com/groups/vsl 

Bilibili：https://space.bilibili.com/2040235889 

ORCID: http://orcid.org/0000-0003-3536-8414 

ResearchGate: https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Nan_Hu11 

Google Scholar: http://scholar.google.com/citations?user=zCPL0F0AAAAJ&hl=en

Teaching is my passion. I chose to pursue a career in academia because I enjoy making a life-long impact on the lives

 of students. I love the quote by William Arthur Ward that states: “  The mediocre teacher tells. The good teacher explains.

 The superior teacher demonstrates. The great teacher inspires  .” My favorite moment in teaching is when former students

 came to my office and acknowledged my support and inspiration after the completion of the course. Those moments always

 remind me that the top priority of being a teacher and an educator is helping students succeed.

My teaching philosophy develops collectively as my career moves on and my professional identity grows. Throughout my 

graduate studies and postdoctoral experience, I have built a strong teaching record with a variety of roles, including teaching 

assistant, guest lecturer, and mentor. In this process, I have benefited from observing the professors that I’ve had who 

embraced the teacher-scholar model, which involves students in project-based research while learning in their courses. 

They promote state-of-the-art developments in the field, incorporated advanced knowledge into their teaching activities, 

and eventually help students gain better insights by participating in research. Thus, I am also interested in pursuing my

 career with a holistic teaching-scholarship approach.

Now, as a faculty member at South China University of Technology, my goal of teaching future generation engineers is 

to improve both their technical and professional skills through coursework and co-curriculum projects. I will promote

 interdisciplinary knowledge and encourage teamwork. My teaching method emphasizes: (1) the presence of “the big 

picture”; (2) the quality of teacher-student interaction; and (3) the efficiency of examinations. I will keep demonstrating 

such beliefs and goals in my teaching and mentoring journey as an instructor at SCUT.

See our Nature Career Column about Vlog with students: https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-022-02935-x

South China University of   Technology

Spring   2020          Theoretical Mechanics

Autumn   2020-2025    Mechanics of Materials

Autumn   2023-2025    Design and Fabrication of Architected Materials

Autumn   2023-2025    Introduction to Civil Engineering

Autumn   2024-2025    Intelligent Structural Design Studio

Autumn   2023-2025    3D Printing Workshop

The Ohio State University

Autumn   2018-2019                CIVILEN 3310, Structural Engineering Principles

Autumn   2017, Spring 2019    CIVILEN 5162, Introduction of Laminated Composite Materials

Guest Lecturer                ARCH 5590 Topics in Building Technology

Spring 2018                   CIVILEN 5880 - Civil Engineering Seminar

Spring 2018                   OSTEP  Fellow  University Center for the Advancement of Teaching

Autumn   2018                UITL Teaching Endorsement Program (Course Design)

Summer   2018               Faculty Foundation, Impact, Transformation (FIT)   program

Dartmouth College

Teaching Assistant 2015 - 2016

ENGS 15: Undergraduate Investigations in Engineering

ENGS 21: Introduction to Engineering; Instructor:   Prof. Ulrike G.K. Wegst

Guest  Lecturer

ENGS 2: Integrated Design: Engineering,   Architecture, and Building Technology

ENGS   142: Intermediate Solid Mechanics

Michigan State University

Teaching Assistant  2011 - 2015 CE221   Statics; Instructor:   Prof. Gilbert Y. Baladi