Tao Zhang

Dr. Tao Zhang obtained his Ph.D. from KIT in Germany. He subsequently conducted postdoctoral research at KIT and UCSB, accumulating over eight years of overseas research experience. He has been mentored by Prof. Zhansheng Guo of Shanghai University, Prof. Marc Kamlah of KIT, and Prof. Robert M. McMeeking of UCSB. In April 2024, he joined the Department of Engineering Mechanics at SCUT as an Associate Professor.

His research focuses on the mechanics of secondary batteries. He employs an integrated approach combining the phase-field method, continuum mechanics, crystallographic design, and the finite element method for theoretical modelling and numerical simulation. His work investigates the phase transformation and fracture behavior of electrode materials/structures to reveal underlying failure mechanisms and guide the mechanical stability regulation of electrode materials/structures.

Over the past five years, he has led 10 national, provincial/ministerial, and international research projects. These include a General Program of the National Natural Science Foundation of China, the Guangdong “Pearl River Talent Program” for Distinguished Young Scholars, the Guangdong Provincial Natural Science Fund for Distinguished Young Scholars, the Guangdong Association for Science and Technology Young Scientific Talent Cultivation Plan, the Guangzhou Basic and Applied Basic Research Project, the Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities, and the South China University of Technology Talent Team Construction Fund. He has also completed international projects such as a sub-project under the German DFG Excellence Cluster on Battery Research (1.34 million RMB / 364 million EUR total funding), a research project with the University of Southern California, USA, and a research grant from the KHYS Fund in Germany. Additionally, he has participated as a key researcher in a Key Program of the National Natural Science Foundation of China and a completed project funded by the U.S. Air Force Research Laboratory.

He has published over 22 SCI-indexed papers and book chapters in leading journals in mechanics and electrochemistry, including flagship solid mechanics journals such as JMPS (3), IJSS, and JPS (3 papers). He has been invited to deliver more than 21 presentations at major international conferences, including ICTAM, MSE, USNC/TAM, ECS, and MRS. He regularly serves as a reviewer for over 21 high-impact journals across the fields of mechanics, electrochemistry, energy, and physics, such as JMPS, JPS, AEM, and the Physical Review series. Furthermore, he has been recognized as an Outstanding Undergraduate Thesis Advisor at the university level.