You might have seen him, a tall, sunny, handsome man;

You might have heard of him, a young expert specializing in smart materials and structures;

You might be curious about him, a magical teacher who performs magic tricks in class;

Today

Behind every word here is an inspiring figure,

Let’s listen to his story,

He is a young faculty member at the Unmanned Systems Technology Research Institute

Our pragmatic gentleman

—Associate Professor Wang Jun!

Figure 1. Professor Wang Jun at work

Experience as a Spark

Professor Wang said: “When you’re young, you should dare to venture, strive, and innovate. I want to challenge different things; even if I hit a wall, as long as I’ve experienced it, done it, and understood it, it becomes a treasure in my pocket. These experiences will become sparks, and with sparks, there’s the possibility of making breakthroughs like a bamboo splitting.” Therefore, after graduating with his master’s degree, he resolutely chose to travel overseas to pursue his doctoral degree at Paris-Saclay University. Now, just past his thirties, he positions himself in a phase of “seeking knowledge, seeking truth, and seeking experience.”

As a young teacher, his primary responsibility is educating people. For undergraduates across the university, he taught the comprehensive quality course “Smart Materials and Structural Systems” and the general platform course “Engineering Mechanics (Volume 1),” and participated in the development of the institute’s high-quality course – “Intelligent Unmanned Systems Technology and Applications.” To better understand students, he actively undertook the guidance of university student innovation and entrepreneurship projects and undergraduate thesis designs. In just two years, he grew from a teaching “novice” to a “rising star,” becoming one of the first postgraduate supervisors at the Unmanned Systems Technology Research Institute in 2019, and also one of the “top draws” for postgraduate admissions consultations in 2020.

Figure 2. Professor Wang Jun guiding students in class

As a researcher, he is diligent in his dedicated studies. His research areas include constitutive theory of smart materials, bio-inspired morphing structure design based on smart materials, and optimal design of smart materials and structures. He is a versatile expert bridging the new interdisciplinary field of “Intelligent Unmanned Systems Science and Technology” and the traditional advantageous discipline of “Aeronautical and Astronautical Manufacturing Engineering.” In his list of achievements, National Natural Science Foundation projects, national-level research projects, and international cooperation research projects are clearly visible. 13 SCI papers and 10 national invention patents further add to his brilliance.

Innovation as a Flame

Professor Wang has always firmly believed that “if experience is a spark, then innovation is the light emitted by that spark, capable of spreading the charm of technology further and wider.” Now, on his path forward, he continuously summarizes and discovers, actively seeking possibilities for breakthrough innovation in all aspects.

When he noticed students losing focus in class, he stepped down from the podium and swapped roles with them, allowing students to freely explore the taught content while he sat below like a student, diligently taking notes and occasionally asking questions of the “little teachers.” He felt that students had little interest in purely theoretical knowledge, so he became a “magician,” bending a shape memory alloy rod and then, with a lighter, heating it until it automatically straightened! These small, creative touches made Professor Wang’s classes “full of vitality,” and students reported that in his classes, “it’s impossible to get distracted; there are always little surprises that keep your eyes glued!”

Figure 3. Shape memory alloy restoring its original shape in hot water

In teaching reform, Professor Wang is a pioneer. In scientific and technological innovation, he is also a trendsetter.

He innovatively established a multi-scale, multi-field coupled thermodynamic characterization model for smart materials, enabling the prediction of complex service behaviors of smart materials and structures. He developed an integrated analysis method for the forming-training-service-fatigue behavior of smart material structures, achieving structural and functional matching design for typical smart material functional components.

Figure 4. Smart autonomous morphing structure

Addressing the challenge of lightweight protective armor for aerospace weaponry under extreme load conditions, he developed a lightweight composite armor based on superelastic shape memory alloys. He conducted research on the energy absorption mechanisms and dynamic/static performance analysis of shape memory alloys and ultralight energy-absorbing lattices. He completed the macro- and micro-design schemes for ceramic/shape memory alloy/ultralight lattice composite armor structures.

Figure 5. Design of lightweight protective armor based on superelastic shape memory alloys

Addressing the design requirements for aerospace smart morphing structures, such as small volume, light weight, low power consumption, fast response, simple mechanisms, and precise control, he conducted research on the design and optimization of smart morphing structures based on shape memory alloys. He proposed design schemes for morphing wings and space self-deployable structures and completed functional verification.

Figure 6. Variable wingtip winglet based on shape memory alloy

Vision Bears Fruit

Professor Wang said: “Thirteen years ago, I came to Northwestern Polytechnical University (NPU) for my studies and was deeply moved by the university’s motto of ‘Three Realities and One Innovation.’ The university anthem always inspires us with ‘Integrity, Sincerity, Courage, Perseverance, Never Forget,’ and I believe I have achieved that. Thirteen years later, with a different identity, I am still at NPU, and what I need to do now is ‘benefit all, cultivate and soar,’ which I believe I can also achieve.” Hearing such sincere words and facing such firm conviction, we can only wish him that his efforts will be rewarded, his wishes fulfilled, and that our magnificent university will continue to produce pillars of society!

（Text by: Li Yaxi; Photos by: Wang Jun; Reviewed by: Miao Ying, Xu Xiaofeng）