Rate My Professor Yanfei Gao

Professor Yanfei Gao serves as Professor and Associate Department Head in the Department of Materials Science and Engineering at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, where he also directs graduate studies. He earned a BS in Engineering Mechanics and a dual BS in Computer Science from Tsinghua University in Beijing in 1999, graduating with the highest honor. Gao obtained his MA in 2001 and PhD in 2003 from the Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering at Princeton University. From March 2003 to July 2005, he worked as a postdoctoral research associate in the solid mechanics group at Brown University. Joining the University of Tennessee in 2005, he established a research group focused on theoretical and computational investigations into small-scale mechanical behavior, failure mechanisms of advanced structural materials, thin film heterostructures, contact and friction, mechanics of materials across scales and disciplines, structural reliability under extreme conditions, and mechanics of manufacturing. He held a joint faculty appointment at Oak Ridge National Laboratory from 2005 to 2018.

Gao has authored or co-authored approximately 200 journal papers, with 24 published in Acta Materialia and 20 in Journal of the Mechanics and Physics of Solids, accumulating over 15,000 Google Scholar citations as of December 2025. Key publications include 'In situ synchrotron X-ray diffraction and crystal plasticity studies of the deformation and fatigue crack growth behavior in a TRIP-assisted advanced high strength steel' (Acta Materialia, 2025), 'Mechanistic cohesive zone laws for fatigue cracks: Nonlinear field projection and in situ synchrotron X-ray diffraction measurements' (Journal of the Mechanics and Physics of Solids, 2025), and 'Identifying the effect of coherent precipitates on the deformation mechanisms by in situ neutron diffraction in an extruded magnesium alloy under low-cycle fatigue conditions' (Acta Materialia, 2023, Acta Student Award). He has delivered about 100 invited presentations at national and international conferences and institutions, including two at Gordon Research Conferences. His accolades include the 2026 Brimacombe Medal from The Minerals, Metals & Materials Society for foundational contributions to small-scale mechanics, material failure at extreme conditions, and solid-state additive manufacturing; 2022-2023 Faculty Fellow in the Tickle College of Engineering; 2022 Graduate Director of the Year from the UT Graduate School; 2015 College of Engineering Professional Promise in Research Award; 2010 Chancellor’s Award for Professional Promise in Research and Creative Achievement; and co-winner of the 2010 R&D 100 Award. Gao serves as Associate Editor for Theoretical and Applied Mechanics Letters, Mechanics of Materials, and Materials Futures, and as an editorial board member for Materials Today, Canadian Metallurgy Quarterly, and others. He participates in committees for The Minerals, Metals & Materials Society and ASM International, and evaluates programs for the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology since 2021.