Tianli Feng
Assistant Professor
Department of Mechanical Engineering
The University of Utah
1495 East 100 South
Salt Lake City, Utah, 84112
Homepage: https://feng.mech.utah.edu/
Google Scholar: https://shorturl.at/jozJ0

Director

Tianli Feng is an Assistant Professor of Mechanical Engineering at the University of Utah. He earned his Ph.D. from Purdue University and subsequently worked as a Postdoctoral Fellow and R&D Associate Staff Scientist at Oak Ridge National Laboratory. He received the 2023 Brillouin Medal, 2023 Ralph E. Powe Junior Faculty Enhancement Award, 2024 NSF CAREER Award, 2024 Assistant Professor of the Year Award at the University of Utah, and the 2024 ASME Rising Star of Mechanical Engineering Award! He has published over 80 journal papers, developed various simulation tools, and has over 6000 citations with an h-index of 43.  [CV Tianli Feng]

Email: tianli.feng@utah.edu           Google Scholar citation

Appointments

  • Assistant Professor, Mechanical Engineering, University of Utah, 2021 - present
  • R&D Associate Staff Scientist, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, 2020 - 2021
  • Postdoctoral Research Associate, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, 2017 - 2020

Education

  • Ph.D., Mechanical Engineering, Purdue University, 2017
  • M.S., Mechanical Engineering, Purdue University, 2013

Graduate Students

Janak Tiwari joined our group in Fall 2021 as a Ph.D. Candidate. He received his thesis M.S. degree from the University of Mississippi (with a GPA 4.0) and B.S. from Anna University, India, in 2021 and 2016, respectively. He works on first principles, machine learning, and finite element-based thermal transport simulations.

Hao Zhou joined our group in Fall 2022 as a Ph.D. Candidate. He received his thesis M.S. degree from Zhejiang University (with 2nd rank among grad students) in 2022. His research focuses on first principles, molecular dynamics, and machine learning-based thermal transport simulations.

Khalid Adnan joined our group in Spring 2023 as a direct Ph.D. student. He received his B.S. degree from Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology (BUET) in 2021. His research focuses on first principles, molecular dynamics, and machine learning-based interfacial thermal transport simulations.

Tanvirul Abedien is a direct Ph.D. student, who joined our group in Fall 2023. He received his B.S. degree from Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology (BUET) in 2022. His current research is interfacial thermal transport simulations.

Qihao Xu is a Ph.D. student, who joined our group in Fall 2024. He obtained his M.S. degree at Southeast University in 2024 with several first-author high-impact journal publications. His current research focuses on thermal transport modelling of materials at high temperatures.

Visiting scholars

Yeojin Lee. Her research interest is the simulation of thermal transport.

Undergraduate Students

Noel Jensen. His research interest is the synthesis of ultra-high temperature insulation materials.

Alumni:

Ph.D.:

Jacob Crossley

Thesis: "Development of the Unified Theory of Gas Thermal Conductivity and Energy Accommodation based on Molecular Dynamics Studies", 2025.

M.S.

Rui Xie

Thesis: " Interfacial Phonon Transport by Molecular Dynamics Simulations Based on Classical and Machine Learning Potentials", 2022/12.

Undergraduate students:

  • Yara Ahmed. Her research is focused on the prediction of thermal conductivity at ultra-high temperatures of complex oxides using first principles, molecular dynamics, and machine learning-based thermal transport simulations.
  • Wyatt Jones. His research is focused on the first principles, molecular dynamics, and machine learning-based thermal transport simulations.
  • Bryce Rundell. His research is focused on the prediction of interfacial thermal transport across semiconductors using first principles, molecular dynamics, and machine learning-based thermal transport simulations.
  • Brady Mccone. His research is focused on the molecular dynamics simulations of gas solid interactions.

High-school summer Internship:

  • Audrey Bradley, high-school summer research internship, 2023. Research project: first principles-based machine learning molecular dynamics simulations.
  • Adam Clark, high-school summer research internship, 2023. Research project: first principles-based machine learning molecular dynamics simulations.