CKSRI Seminar Series 2026 “Dynamics, Design and Control of Soft and Living Systems"

CKSRI Seminar Series 2026
"Dynamics, Design and Control of Soft and Living Systems"
 

Date: 23 July 2026
Time: 11:00 AM - 12:00 PM
Venue: LTF, Academic Building, HKUST
Event Format: Seminar, Lecture, Talk
Speaker: Prof. Xiaotian ZHANG
 

ABSTRACT
Living soft creatures, from worms and snakes to fishes and octopuses, possess remarkable mobility and dexterity, often unmatched by engineering counterparts. Central to their abilities is the intimate meshing between mechanical and neural infrastructures, whereby each enhances and supports the other across scales. To decode the key principles at play and streamline their use in engineering, I will present a multidisciplinary approach based on a unique blend of numerical and experimental techniques. From modeling and controlling of complex musculoskeletal dynamics, designing and realizing living robots, to the customization of in-vitro neural interfaces, these techniques promise novel paradigms for future intelligent machines and fundamental discovery.


About the Speaker
Xiaotian Zhang is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering at the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology. He obtained his Ph.D. from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign in 2022. After that, he served as a postdoctoral associate for three years in the Carl R. Woese Institute for Genomic Biology. His research focuses on understanding biological principles to inspire novel system design and control, through the synergy of biophysical simulation, neural engineering, and robotics.