My research interests include: 1) probing the properties and advancing the performance of materials from the nanoscale; 2) developing technologies to enable above goals, and 3) accumulate and construct the knowledge system of materials at the micro- and nano- Scale. Currently my research efforts are focused on applying and developing unique quantitative in situ TEM mechanical testing techniques (indentation/compression/bending/tensile/fatigue/fracture + heating/electrical + gas environment).

2016-Present      Dean, School of MSE, XJTU

11/2011-2016      Deputy Dean, School of MSE, XJTU

01/2010-Present     Deputy Director, Skate Key Laboratory for Mechanical Behavior of Materials, XJTU.

05/2009-04/2015  Executive Director, Center for Advancing Materials Performance from the Nano scale.

05/2015-present  Director, Center for Advancing Materials Performance from the Nano scale.

06/2010-Present     Director. Hysitron Applied Research Center

06/2008-present     “Tengfei” Guest Professor, Xi’an Jiaotong University, China.

05/2007-present     Guest Scientist, National Center of Electron Microscope, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory.

10/2006-present     Senior Scientist, Product line manager Hysitron, Inc., Minneapolis, MN

2005- 2006     Postdoctoral Fellow, National Center of Electron Microscope, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory.

2001 - 2005    Research Assistant & Teaching Assistant, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA Department of Mechanical Engineering Advisor: Prof. Scott Mao.

1999 - 2001 Ph.D Institute of Metal Research, Chinese Academic of Sciences, Shengyang, China

1996 - 1999 MSc Institute of Metal Research, Chinese Academic of Sciences, Shengyang, China

1992 - 1996 BSc Jilin University, Changchun, China 

So far, published 60+ papers in peer reviewed journals, including the most prestigious ones such as Science (1), Nature (1), Nature Materials (4), PNAS (2), Nature Communications (4) etc.; organized and co-organized 18 international conferences; authored/presented more than 160 talks with more than half of them being invited talks; found and co-found three international research centers and one provincial engineering center. 

1)        Z. J. Wang, Q. J. Li, Y. N. Cui, Z. L. Liu, E. Ma, J. Li, J. Sun, Z. Zhuang, M. Dao*, Z. W. Shan*, and Subra Suresh*, Cyclic deformation leads to defect healing and strengthening of small-volume metal crystals, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, 112, 13502–13507  (2015, Sep.).

2)        D. G. Xie, Z. J. Wang, J. Sun, J. Li*, E. Ma* and Z. W. Shan*, In situ study of the initiation of hydrogen bubbles at the aluminium metal/oxide interface, Nature Materials, 14, 899-903 (2015, Sep.).

3)        Bo-Yu Liu, Jian Wang, Bin Li, Lu Lu, Xi-Yan Zhang, Zhi-Wei Shan, Ju Li, Chun-Lin Jia, Jun Sun and Evan Ma, Twinning-like lattice reorientation without a crystallographic twinning plane, Nature Communications, 5, 3297 (2014)

4)        Cheng-Cai Wang, Yun-Wei Mao, Zhi-Wei Shan, Ming Dao, Ju Li, Jun Sun, Evan Ma, and Subra Suresh,Real-time, high-resolution study of nanocrystallization and fatigue cracking in a cyclically strained metallic glass, PNAS, 110, 19725-19730 (2013)

5)        L. Tian, Y. Q. Cheng, C. C. Wang, Z. W. Shan, J. Li, X. D. Han, J. Sun and Evan Ma, approaching the ideal elastic limit of metallic glasses, Nature Communications, 3,609-614（2012）

6)        L. Huang, Q.-J. Li, Z.W. Shan, J. Li, J. Sun and E. Ma, A new regime for mechanical annealing and strong sample-size strengthening in body-centred cubic molybdenum, Nature Communications, 2,547（2012）

7)        Kun Zheng, Chengcai Wang, Yong-Qiang Cheng, Yonghai Yue, Xiaodong Han, Ze Zhang, Zhiwei Shan, Scott X Mao, Miaomiao Ye, Yadong Yin & Evan Ma, Electron-beam-assisted superplastic shaping of nanoscale amorphous silica, Nature Communications, 1, 24 (2010).

8)        Q. Yu, Z. W. Shan, J. Li, X. X. Huang, L. Xiao, J. Sun and E. Ma, Strong Crystal Size Effect on Deformation Twinning, Nature, 463 (2010) 335-338.

9)        Z. W. Shan, G. Adesso, A. Cabot, M. P. Sherburne, S. A. Syed Asif, O. L. Warren, D. C. Chrzan, A. M. Minor & A. P. Alivisatos, Ultrahigh stress and strain in hierarchically structured hollow nanoparticles, Nature Materials, 19 October 2008.

10)     Z. W. Shan, R. Mishra, S. A. Syed, O. L. Warren and A. M. Minor, Mechanical Annealing and Source-limited Deformation in Submicron-diameter Ni Crystals, Nature Materials, 7, 115-119 (2008).

11)     A.M. Minor, S. A. Syed, Z. W. Shan, E.A. Stach, Asif, E. Cyrankowki, T. Wyrobek and O. L. Warren. A new view of the onset of plasticity during the nanoindentation of aluminum. Nature Materials, September 2006, vol. 5, 697-702

12)     Zhiwei Shan, E.A. Stach, J.M.K Wiezorek, J.A. Knapp, D.M. Follstaedt, S.X. Mao, Grain Boundary Mediated Plasticity in Nanocrystalline Nickel, Science 305 (5684): p654-657 2004.