Sida Liu, Professor at the School of Aerospace and Astronautical Engineering, Xi'an Jiaotong University, doctoral supervisor, Recipient of the National Young Talent Program and the Young Elite Talent Program (Category A), and a member of the State Key Laboratory of Structural Strength and Fatigue of Major Equipment under Complex Service Conditions. Research focus: development of high-performance lightweight alloys through crystal-seeding technologies and data-driven materials design. Has led more than 10 national and provincial research projects funded by the Science and Technology Commission of the Central Military Commission, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology of China, the National Natural Science Foundation of China, the Ministry of Science and Technology of China, the Shandong Provincial Development and Reform Commission, and the Inner Mongolia Department of Science and Technology, with total research funding exceeding RMB 15 million. The independently developed TCB-Al grain refiner series has demonstrated remarkable effectiveness in enhancing the performance of aluminum alloys. The technology has been adopted by leading organizations and companies, including AVIC, NORINCO, Federal-Mogul, CHINALCO, and Huawei, and has been exported to more than ten countries, including Germany, Italy, and South Korea. As first or corresponding author, Prof. Liu has published more than 60 SCI-indexed papers in leading journals, including Science, Science Advances, Chemical Reviews, and Acta Materialia. These publications have received more than 2,000 citations, and four papers have been recognized as ESI Highly Cited Papers. In addition, 11 Chinese invention patents have been authorized. He serves as a Council Member of the Youth Committee of the Chinese Materials Research Society and as a Young Editorial Board Member for several journals, including Materials Research Letters (MRL), Journal of Materials Science & Technology (JMST), and Acta Metallurgica Sinica. He received the Excellence Award in the Ministry of Education's “Chunhui Cup” Innovation and Entrepreneurship Competition. Research achievements have been featured by China Global Television Network (CGTN), the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD), and other media organizations and institutions.

2023–present

Professor and Ph.D. Supervisor, School of Aerospace Engineering, Xi'an Jiaotong University, China

Member, State Key Laboratory of Structural Strength and Fatigue of Major Equipment under Complex Service Conditions

Research Group: Prof. Yilin Liu's Intelligent Mechanics for Aerospace Systems Group

2020–2023

Postdoctoral Research Fellow, Department of Mechanical Engineering, City University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR, China

Supervisor: Prof. Jian Lü, Member of the French National Academy of Technologies

2016–2020

Ph.D. in Engineering, Institute of Materials Chemistry, RWTH Aachen University, Germany

Supervisor: Prof. Jochen M. Schneider, C4 Professor (Highest Academic Rank in Germany)

2013–2016

M.Eng. in Materials Science, Ocean University of China, China 

2009–2013

B.Sc. in Physics, Shandong University, China

1. Council Member of the Young Workers' Committee, Chinese Society for Materials Research, 2024.

2. National Natural Science Foundation of China (NSFC), Project Review Exper

3. Ningbo Institute of Materials Technology and Engineering, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Visiting Researcher

4. School of Materials Science and Engineering, Ocean University of China, Outstanding Alumni

5. Quancheng Overseas Expert, appointed by the CPC Jinan Municipal Committee / Jinan Association for Science and Technology, 2023.

6. First Prize in the "Chunhui Cup" Innovation and Entrepreneurship Competition, Ministry of Education, 2022.

7. Committee Member of the Linyi Youth Federation, CPC Linyi Youth Federation, 2022.

8. Young Editorial Board Member for Academic Journals:

     Materials Research Letters (Q1 Journal)

     Journal of Materials Science & Technology (Q1 Journal)

     Nano Research Energy

     Journal of Chinese Society for Metals

     Special Casting & Non-Ferrous Alloys

     Chinese Journal of Engineering Science

     Crystals

Email: sidaliu@xjtu.edu.cn

Xi'an Jiaotong University

• School of Aerospace and Astronautical Engineering

• State Key Laboratory of Structural Strength and Fatigue of Major Equipment under Complex Service Conditions 

School of Aerospace, Xi'an Jiaotong University

2026–2029 | Major Science and Technology Project in High-Tech Fields, Department of Science and Technology of Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region (PI, RMB 10 million) (Crystal-Seeding Technology and Machine Learning)

2025–2028 | Project of the Science and Technology Commission of the Central Military Commission (PI, RMB 4 million) (Lightweight Alloys and Machine Learning)

2025–2026 | Urgently Needed Talent Introduction Program for Key Supported Regions, Shandong Provincial Development and Reform Commission (PI, RMB 2 million)

2025–2027 | National Key Research and Development Program of China (Task Leader, RMB 20 million) (Lightweight Alloys and Crystal-Seeding Technology)

2025–2028 | General Program, National Natural Science Foundation of China (NSFC) (PI, RMB 0.48 million)

2024–2026 | Young Scientists Fund (Category C), National Natural Science Foundation of China (NSFC) (PI, RMB 0.30 million)

2024–2025 | Open Research Fund, State Key Laboratory of Powder Metallurgy, Central South University (PI)

2024–2025 | Open Research Fund, State Key Laboratory of Solidification Processing, Northwestern Polytechnical University (PI)

2023–2026 | National Young Talent Program, Ministry of Industry and Information Technology of China (PI, RMB 3 million)

2023–2029 | Young Elite Talent Program (Category A), Xi'an Jiaotong University (PI, RMB 2 million)

Graduate Student Recruitment (M.S. & Ph.D.)

Research Directions

1. Lightweight Alloy Design

2. Machine Learning and Computational Materials Science

3. High-Performance Aluminum Alloys

4. Biomedical Engineering and Materials Science

Open Positions

We are continuously recruiting outstanding students from both domestic and international institutions for: Full-time Master's Students (3 positions per year); Full-time Ph.D. Students (3 positions per year); Part-time Ph.D. Students.

Who We Are Looking For

Students with interdisciplinary backgrounds are highly encouraged to apply, including but not limited to: Materials Science and Engineering, Mechanics, Physics, Mathematics, Mechanical Engineering. Biological Sciences, Civil Engineering, Artificial Intelligence, Advanced Manufacturing.

Program Highlights

1. Joint Training Opportunities with City University of Hong Kong (CityUHK)

Students may participate in joint training programs with the research group of Prof. Jian Lü at City University of Hong Kong, with opportunities to obtain degrees from both Xi’an Jiaotong University and City University of Hong Kong.

2. Personalized Research Mentorship

Each newly enrolled student is assigned a dedicated mentor during the first year to facilitate research training and project development.

3. Supportive Research Environment

Students are not required to undertake non-research administrative tasks. The group maintains a collaborative and friendly atmosphere, with organized team sports activities held regularly each week.

4. Academic and Industrial Exposure

Both Master's and Ph.D. students are provided with extensive opportunities to participate in academic conferences and interact with industry partners. Ph.D. students are expected to attend at least one international academic conference during their doctoral studies.

Contact Information

Sida Liu

Email: sidaliu@xjtu.edu.cn

Wenhao Cha

Email: wenhao.cha@stu.xjtu.edu.cn

School of Aerospace Engineering

Xi'an Jiaotong University

State Key Laboratory of Structural Strength and Fatigue of Major Equipment under Complex Service Conditions 

Xi'an, Shaanxi, China