Yonggang Huang - Biography#

Yonggang Huang received Ph.D. from Harvard University in 1990. After one-year postdoc at Harvard, he has taught at the University of Arizona (1991-95), Michigan Technological University (1995-98), University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (UIUC, 1998-2007), and Northwestern University (2007-present). He has used the mechanics principles (e.g., large-deformation postbuckling analysis; fracture mechanics; mechanics of thin films) to design and fabricate silicon-based stretchable and flexible electronics that can be stretched to 150% strain (like a rubber-band) for integration with human body, leading to transformative applications to medicine and health monitoring: impact monitor for contact sports, skin-mounted health monitors (EKG, EMG, UV Patch, glucose, acceleration, and temperature). He has published 2 books and >500 journal papers, including 9 in Science and 3 in Nature. His patented technologies are licensed for commercial deployment/development, leading to products on the market, such as CHECKLIGHT (impact monitor) by Reebok, Skin-mounted UV Patch by L’Oreal, BioStamp (skin-mounted health monitor for EKG, EMG, temperature, acceleration) and WiSP (wireless health monitor for Glucose from sweat and EKG) by MC10. These applications are impossible to achieve with conventional hard, planar integrated circuits. He and his collaborator have created a new field – stretchable electronics, which enables seamless integration with human body.

With his papers been cited >41,500 times and the H-index of 99, he is a Highly Cited Researcher in Engineering (2009) and a Highly Cited Researcher in Materials Science (since 2014). Selected honors include a member of the US National Academy of Engineering, the 2017 Prager Medal from the Society of Engineering Sciences (SES) (highest award from SES), 2016 Nadai Medal from the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) (highest award in materials science from ASME), 2013 Drucker Medal from ASME (one of three highest awards in mechanics from ASME), and Guggenheim Fellowship (one fellowship in engineering per year in North America). He was the President of SES in 2014, is the Editor of Journal of Applied Mechanics (Transactions of ASME), and will be the chair of ASME Applied Mechanics Division in 2019.