Dr Liya Zhao | UNSW Research

Keywords

electromechanical behavior

Fields of Research (FoR)

Mechanical engineering, Solid mechanics, Numerical modelling and mechanical characterisation, Structural dynamics, Dynamics, vibration and vibration control, Structural engineering

Biography

Research website: liyazhao-lab.com (PhD and Master (by Research) scholarships (stipend and tuition waiver) are currently available for top students)

Dr Liya Zhao is currently a Senior Lecturer in the School of Mechanical and Manufacturing Engineering at the University of New South Wales (UNSW Sydney). She is the recipient of the ARC Discovery Early Career Researcher Award (DECRA) for 2021-2024.

She received her BEng in Civil Engineering from...view more

Research website: liyazhao-lab.com (PhD and Master (by Research) scholarships (stipend and tuition waiver) are currently available for top students)

She received her BEng in Civil Engineering from Tongji University in 2009, and her PhD in Structures and Mechanics from Nanyang Technological University Singapore in Dec 2015. After that, she worked as a Research Fellow at Nanyang Technological University Singapore. She moved to the University of Technology Sydney in 2017 as a Lecturer and became a Senior Lecturer in 2021. She joined UNSW Sydney as a Senior Lecturer in 2022. Dr Liya Zhao was featured among the World's Top 2% Scientists list for single year 2020-2023 in the subject field of Materials, Energy, and Enabling & Strategic Technologies, published by Stanford University.

Her research interests include energy harvesting, nonlinear dynamics, smart materials and structures, electromechanical modelling, vibration control, aerodynamics, and piezoelectric devices. More details on my research website: Dynamic Smart Structures and Energy Harvesting Lab

- Nonlinear Dynamics, Vibration Suppression, Metastructure/metamaterials

Structural/material/geometric/aerodynamic nonlinearity
Multifunctional metastructure/metamaterial systems for energy harvesting and vibration suppression

- Kinetic Energy Harvesting

Nonlinear adaptive structures for 1) small-scale wind energy harvesting with aeroelastic instabilities 2) broadband vibration energy harvesting
Advanced power extraction interfaces for energy conversion enhancement
Human motion energy harvesting; biosensing
Wave energy harvesting

- Smart Materials and Structures

Adaptive devices for energy harvesting, vibration suppression, actuating and sensing
Electromechanically coupled adaptive structures with smart materials (piezoelectric / flexoelectric / triboelectric / electret mechanisms)

- Integrated Self-Powered Wireless Sensor Networks/Active Tags

Sustainable physiological monitoring with self-powered body sensor networks
Sustainable smart environmental/structural health monitoring
Sustainable object tracking

My Grants

2025-2026, UNSW, Carer's Fund, Sole CI

2023, MME RIS, CI

2022, MME RIS, Sole CI

2022-2024, UNSW, MME, Start-Up

2021-2024, Australian Research Council Discovery Early Career Researcher Award (DECRA), Sole CI

2021, NSW Defence Innovation Network, CI

2019, UTS Blue Sky Grant, Lead CI

2018, UTS Seed Grant, Sole CI

2018, UTS Midas teaching grant, CI

2011-2012, Nanyang Engineering Doctoral Scholarship (NEDS) Award, NTU Singapore (1 of 12 awardees in the university)

My Qualifications

Dec. 2015 Ph.D. in Structures & Mechanics, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore.

PhD supervisor: Prof Yaowen Yang

Jun. 2009 B.Eng. in Civil Engineering, Tongji University, China

My Research Supervision

Supervision keywords

electromechanical behavior

Areas of supervision

Energy harvesting, vibration energy, nonlinear dynamics, smart materials and structures, vibration control, aerodynamics, piezoelectric devices

We are always seeking highly-motivated research students to join our lab. Applicants are expected to have a solid background in mechanics, vibration, nonlinear dynamics, and engineering programming (e.g., Matlab). If you are interested in doing a PhD with me, please send your transcripts (requirement: Bachelor GPA > 80/100, or > 4.0/5.0), CV, and publications (if applicable) to liya.zhao2@unsw.edu.au.

PhD and Master (by Research) scholarships (stipend and tuition waiver) are currently available for top students.

Information on application process: https://www.unsw.edu.au/research/hdr/application