February 3, 2025
ME Professor Junlan Wang has been named the editor-in-chief of Experimental Mechanics, an international journal integrating experimental methods with the mechanical behavior of materials and structures. Her five-year term started in January 2025.
Junlan Wang
Established in 1961, the flagship journal in the field focuses on a wide range of novel experiments to characterize the mechanics of materials, structures and systems. The journal covers experimental mechanics at both large and small scales, and extends to interdisciplinary fields including physics, chemistry and biology.
“I was extremely excited when the first paper from my Ph.D. work on the thin film laser spallation technique was published in this prestigious journal over 20 years ago,” Wang says. “Today, I am really humbled and honored to lead the journal as the editor-in-chief.”
Wang’s vision for the journal focuses on growth, impact and excellence. She would like to broaden the journal scope to include new and emerging topics such as artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning for experimental mechanics. In addition, she hopes to promote high-quality submissions and further elevate the journal’s standing in the scientific community.
A world-renowned expert in the field of experimental mechanics, Wang develops novel experimental techniques, complemented by numerical and analytical approaches, to study the mechanics and physics of materials and structures at small length and time scales. Her work has profound impacts in aerospace, energy, health, semiconductor and transportation systems.
Wang has been recognized by numerous awards, including the CAREER Award from the National Science Foundation; Hetenyi, Durelli, and Frocht Awards from the Society for Experimental Mechanics (SEM); Beer and Johnston Outstanding New Mechanics Educator Award from the American Society of Engineering Education (ASEE), and Fellow of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME).