Rate My Professor Wei Xue

Wei Xue, Ph.D., serves as Professor and Department Head of Mechanical Engineering in the Henry M. Rowan College of Engineering at Rowan University, a position he assumed in September 2024. Previously, he was Interim Department Head from September 2023 to August 2024, Associate Professor from September 2018 to August 2023, and Assistant Professor from September 2014 to August 2018 at Rowan University. Before joining Rowan, Xue was an Assistant Professor of Mechanical Engineering at Washington State University Vancouver from August 2007 to January 2014, following a brief postdoctoral role at the University of Minnesota. He holds a Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Minnesota (2007), an M.S. in Electrical Engineering from Shandong University (2000), and a B.S. in Electrical Engineering from Shandong University (1997). He is a Senior Member of IEEE and a member of ASME.

Xue's research centers on functional materials, nanomaterials, composites, nanotechnology, sensors and actuators, wearable electronics, MEMS/NEMS, microelectronics, and semiconductor microfabrication technology. He leads the microsensors and microelectronics lab, focusing on composite materials for flexible electronics, soft robotics, and applications such as insulators for high-power energy systems, wearable health monitors, and pain management devices. His work is supported by significant grants, including $450,000 from the Office of Naval Research for designing strong dielectrics for GHe-cooled HTS systems (2023–2026), $300,000 from NSF for cultivating soft robotics workforce through education (2023–2026), and $100,000 from Camden Health Research Initiative for printed flexible electronics for pain management (2020–2024). Xue has earned the Best Paper Award at ASME IMECE 2023 MEMS Division, Best Paper Award at ASME IMECE 2022 MEMS Division, and other honors including NSF Fellowships and student teaching awards. Key publications include “Effects of APTES-coated SiO₂ nano-fillers on electrical, mechanical, and thermal properties of PAA-based composites for HTS cable insulation at cryogenic conditions” (Materials Research Bulletin, 2026), “TendrilBot: modular soft robot with versatile radial grasping and locomotion capabilities” (Sensors and Actuators A: Physical, 2024), “Reconfigurable modular soft robots with modulating stiffness and versatile task capabilities” (Smart Materials and Structures, 2024), “Fabrication and characterization of electrically conductive 3D printable TPU/MWCNT filaments for strain sensing in large deformation conditions” (Advanced Sensor Research, 2024), and “Desiccation cracking remediation through enzyme induced calcite precipitation in fine-grained soils under wetting drying cycles” (Biogeotechnics, 2023). His contributions advance materials solutions for engineering applications in naval systems, robotics, and biomedical devices.