On May 15, Academician Zhang Tongyi from the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) delivered a guest lecture on the rapidly developing field of materials informatics, which was hosted by SUSTech Fellow Yu Dapeng.

Having been a CAS Fellow for seven years, Zhang is also the Dean of Materials Genome Institute at Shanghai University. His research focuses on materials informatics, material thermodynamics, nano-mechanics, micromechanics, microbridge test, phase-field simulation, the stress of solid surface, and mechanical properties of materials.

From Zhang’s perspective, the focal points of materials informatics are:

1. The application of artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning technologies to materials sciences and engineering; and
2. The use of the tools, theories, and technologies in AI, Internet, digitalization, big data science and computer science to promote the design, development, production, and manufacture of materials.

Zhang Tongyi stressed that the development of materials informatics required materials database, which is in great need of financial aid from the national government and other related departments as well as open sharing of data from materials researchers.