Jie Yin

Professor

Dr. Yin is currently a Professor in the Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering at NC State University. He received his Ph.D. in Engineering Mechanics from Columbia University in 2010 and his M.S. in Solid Mechanics from Tsinghua University in 2007. Prior to joining NC State in 2019 Fall, he was a Postdoctoral Associate at MIT from 2010 to 2013 and served as an Assistant and then Associate Professor at Temple University from 2013 to 2019. He is the recipient of several prestigious honors, including the 2026 University Faculty Scholar from NC State, 2024 Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers (PECASE) from the White House, the 2022 Cozzarelli Prize from the National Academy of Sciences (NAS), the 2019 NSF CAREER Award, and the 2017 Young Investigator Award from Extreme Mechanics Letters (EML).

The Yin Group conducts research on the fundamental mechanics and multifunctionality of novel materials and structures across multiple length scales. For more details, visit Dr. Yin’s Google Scholar profile and the Yin Lab website.

Dr. Yin’s research centers on the mechanics-guided design of soft robotics, mechanical metamaterials, and multifunctional shape-morphing materials and structures. His work aims to advance physically intelligent soft robotics capable of high-performance manipulation, locomotion, autonomy, and adaptability, with broad applications in navigation, rehabilitation, healthcare, and space exploration. He also explores the science and engineering of kirigami—the traditional art of paper cutting and folding—as a powerful tool for creating novel mechanical properties and programmable functionalities. In addition, his group develops shape-morphing materials and structures for applications in sustainable energy and environmental systems. His research integrates theoretical modeling, numerical simulation, and experimental investigation to address fundamental questions and enable real-world impact.

 

Publications

Magnetic coupling transforms random snapping into ordered sequences in soft metamaterials
Sun, H., Alkuino, G., Chi, Y., Zabila, Y., Qing, H., Makarov, D., … Yin, J. (2026, March 20), Science Advances. https://doi.org/10.1126/sciadv.aec3182
Solution-processed electrochromics for synergistic solar and radiative heat management
Xie, W., Deng, Y., Liu, Y., Zhao, Y., Shin, S. J., Brown, K., … Bai, W. (2026, February 24), Nature Sustainability, Vol. 2. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41893-026-01774-2
Aerial Track‐Guided Autonomous Soft Ring Robot
Qi, F., Zhou, C., Qing, H., Sun, H., & Yin, J. (2025, April 25), Advanced Science, Vol. 4. https://doi.org/10.1002/advs.202503288
Autonomous Slip-Prevention Grip Force Control and Its Potential in Shared Control of Robotic Prosthetic Hands
Berman, J., Nalam, V., Yin, J., & Huang, H. (2025, December 15), IEEE Transactions on Medical Robotics and Bionics. https://doi.org/10.1109/tmrb.2025.3644009
Enhancing soft robots with chemical shielding for harsh corrosive liquid environments
Qing, H., Vallabhuneni, S., Chi, Y., Zarei, M. J., Sharbati, P., Sun, H., … Kota, A. K. (2025, December 10), Materials Horizons. https://doi.org/10.1039/d5mh01593f
Examining the Mechanics of Polyester Coatings to Assess the Opportunity to Replace BPA in Metal Food Packaging
Shafe, A. A., Wang, H., Brown, C., He, H., Yin, J., Zhu, Y., & O’Connor, B. T. (2025, October 24), ACS Applied Polymer Materials. https://doi.org/10.1021/acsapm.5c02319
Multistable thin-shell metastructures for multiresponsive reconfigurable metabots
Zhou, C., Qing, H., Sun, H., Qi, F., Hong, Y., & Yin, J. (2025, October 15), Science Advances. https://doi.org/10.1126/sciadv.adx4359
Programmable seconds-to-days-long delayed snapping in jumping metashells
Qing, H., Zhou, C., Qi, F., & Yin, J. (2025, June 6), Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, Vol. 122. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.2503313122
Reprogrammable snapping morphogenesis in ribbon-cluster meta-units using stored elastic energy
Hong, Y., Zhou, C., Qing, H., Chi, Y., & Yin, J. (2025, October 10), Nature Materials, Vol. 10. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41563-025-02370-z
Adaptive hierarchical origami-based metastructures
Li, Y., Lallo, A. D., Zhu, J., Chi, Y., Su, H., & Yin, J. (2024, July 26), Nature Communications, Vol. 15. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-024-50497-5

View all publications via NC State Libraries

Jie Yin