He is also a chaired professor (visiting) at East China University of Science and Technology in Shanghai. His other experience includes working at AFIT and AFRL at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base for two years. He holds a master’s in engineering mechanics (1997) and a PhD in mechanical engineering with a minor in mathematics (1998), both from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. He has conducted research in a variety of areas in mechanics and materials and is an author/co-author of 73 journal papers and 76 conference publications. His research has been funded by NSF, AFOSR, AFRL, the U.S. Army, DOE and industry, he has been a PI or co-PI on research projects worth over $7.2 million, and he was recently elected an ASME fellow.