Edward K. Rice Outstanding Doctoral Student
Wenzhong Yan Ph.D. ’23
After completing his doctoral studies in mechanical engineering, Wenzhong Yan continued his academic career at UCLA as a postdoctoral scholar, working with his doctoral advisor Ankur Mehta, assistant professor of electrical and computer engineering. Yan’s research interests include soft and origami robotics, mechanical intelligence, smart materials and structures, computational fabrication, and wearable devices. During her doctoral studies, Yan advised high school, undergraduate, and master’s students, with a particular focus on mentoring underrepresented groups. He has also been instrumental in driving several new collaborations with groups both inside and outside UCLA.
A talented young researcher, Yan has published several research papers in notable journals such as Nature Communications, Science Advances, Soft Robotics and Advanced Materials Technology. His work has been highlighted by the National Science Foundation and Popular Science. Yan is the recipient of numerous awards and honors, including the 2022 Southern California Robotics Symposium Rising Star Talk, the 2023 UCLA Samueli Harry M. Schoeman Award, which honors a graduate student for excellence in communication research, and the 2022 ICRA Soft Robotics Provides best presentation awards. Workshop. Yan holds a faculty position so he can continue to work on impactful research and generate new knowledge.
