Professor Lu Yang is Chair Professor of Nanomechanics in the Department of Mechanical Engineering, and Kingboard Professor in Materials Engineering at The University of Hong Kong (HKU). He received his Bachelor’s degree in Physics (Microelectronics) from Nanjing University and PhD degree in Mechanical Engineering from Rice University, and did his postdoctoral research in the Nanomechanics Lab at MIT. Prior to joining HKU in 2022 as HKU-100 Scholar, he worked at City University of Hong Kong where he rose through the academic ranks to full Professor. In his current role, Professor Lu serves as Associate Dean (Mainland Affairs) in the Faculty of Engineering.
 

Professor Lu is a leading expert in experimental nanomechanics and its interdisciplinary applications in materials engineering, advanced manufacturing, and semiconductor technologies. He has published more than 300 journal articles in peer-reviewed academic journals including Science, Nature Materials, Nature Nanotechnology etc., 2 book chapters and 7 US patents granted. He has been among Clarivate Analytics worldwide Top 1% Scientists by citations since 2023, and presented Opening Plenary Keynote in International Conference on Diamond & Carbon Materials in 2021. He serves as Associate Editor for high-impact journals such as Materials Today and Science Advances, and sits on Editorial Board for leading journals such as National Science Review, Acta Mechanica Sinica, Science China Technological Sciences, International Journal of Extreme Manufacturing, Functional Diamond, Materials for Quantum Technology. Professor Lu is a recipient of University Grants Committee (UGC) Early Career Award 2013/14, the 2019 National Natural Science Foundation of China (NSFC) Excellent Young Scientists Fund (Hong Kong and Macau), the inaugural Research Grants Council (RGC) Research Fellow Scheme (RFS) 2020/21, and the 2025 NSFC Young Scientist Fund (Type A) (formerly the National Science Fund for Distinguished Young Scholars). He is an elected member of the Hong Kong Young Academy of Sciences (YASHK) and the Hong Kong Academy of Engineering (HKAE) Young Member Section (YMS).
 

Academic Services

Associate Editor, Materials Today (Elsevier) (2017- )

Associate Editor, Science Advances (AAAS) (2025- )

Member of the Panel, Physical Sciences Panel (Joint Research Schemes, JRS), Research Grants Council (RGC) (2026-2029)

Member (Engineering) of the Assessment Panel, Competitive Research Funding Schemes for the Local Self-financing Degree Sector (APSF), RGC (2026-2029)

Assessment Panel Member, the Ideation and Incubation Programmes of Hong Kong Science and Technology Parks Corporation (HKSTP) (2025-2027)

Member of Organisation Committee, International Conference on Diamond and Carbon Materials (2023- )
 

Selected Research Projects

RGC Research Fellow Scheme (RFS) 2020/21 (RFS2021-1S05)

RGC Collaborative Research Fund (CRF) Collaborative Research Project Grant (CRPG) 2023/24 (C7074-23GF)

NSFC/RGC Joint Research Scheme (JRS) 2022/23 (N_HKU159/22)

NSFC Young Scientist Fund (Type A) (formerly the National Science Fund for Distinguished Young Scholars) 2025 (12525205)

NSFC National Excellent Young Scientists Fund (HK and Macau) 2019 (11922215)

ITC Innovation and Technology Fund (ITF) Mainland-Hong Kong Technology Cooperation Funding Scheme (MHKTCFS) 國家重點研發計劃「戰略性科技創新合作」重點專項2024 (MHP/321/24)
 

Selected Journal Papers

1. Fan, S.†, Wang H.†, Chou, C.T.†, Chen, J. Han Y., Zhou J., Li X., Chou JP.*, Li J.*, Lu, Y.* “Deep Elastic Strain Engineering of Free-Standing GaN Microbridge” Physical Review X, 16, 011014 (2026).

2. Surjadi, J. U.†, Wang, L.†, Qu, S., Aymon, B. F., Ding, J., Zhou, X., Fan, R., Yang, H., Zhao, Q., Song, X.*, Lu, Y.* “Exploiting multiscale dynamic toughening in multicomponent alloy metamaterials for extreme impact mitigation” Science Advances, 11(19), eadt0589, 2025. (Front cover)

3. Tu, J.†, Li, J.†, Wang, Y., Zhao. Y., Liu. J.*, Wei J., Chen, L., Zhang, J., Lu, Y.*, Li C.* “Inch-scale ultrahard diamond wafer with 200 GPa hardness via high-frequency pulsed local non-equilibrium growth” Nature Communications, 16, 11303 (2025).

4. Wang, L.†, Yin, D.†, Surjadi, J. U.†, Ding, J., Fu, H., Zhou, X., Li, R., Chen, M., Li, X., Song, X.*, Ho, J. C.*, Lu, Y.* “Harnessing screw dislocations in shell-lattice metamaterials for efficient, stable electrocatalysts” Nature Communications, 16(1), 7273, 2025.

5. Hou, Y.†, Zhou, J.†, He, Z.†, Chen, J., Zhu, M., Wu, H., Lu, Y.* “Tuning instability in suspended monolayer 2D materials” Nature Communications, 15(1), 4033, 2024.

6. Li, X.†, Meng, Y.†, Li, W.†, Zhang, J., Dang, C., Wang, H., Hung, S.W., Fan, R., Chen, F.R.*, Zhao, S.*, Ho, J.C.*, Lu, Y.* “Multislip-enabled morphing of all-inorganic perovskites” Nature Materials, 22(10), 1175-1181, 2023.

7. Dang, C.†, Chou, J. P.†, Dai, B.†, Chou, C. T.†, Yang, Y., Fan, R., Lin, W., Meng, F., Hu, A.*, Zhu, J.*, Han, J., Minor, A., Li, J.*, Lu, Y.* “Achieving large uniform tensile elasticity in microfabricated diamond” Science, 371(6524), 76-78, 2021

8. Cao, K.†, Feng, S.†, Han, Y.†, Gao, L., Ly, T., Xu, Z.*, Lu, Y.* “Elastic straining of free-standing monolayer graphene” Nature Communications, 11(1), 1-7, 2020

9. Banerjee, A.†, Bernoulli, D.†, Zhang, H.†, Yuen, M.F., Liu, J., Dong, J., Ding, F., Lu, J., Dao, M.*, Zhang, W.*, Lu, Y.*, Suresh, S.* “Ultralarge elastic deformation of nanoscale diamond” Science, 360(6386), 300-302, 2018

10. Zhang, H., Tersoff, J., Xu, S., Chen, H., Zhang, Q., Zhang, K., Yang, Y., Lee, C.S., Tu, K.N.*, Li, J.*, Lu, Y.* “Approaching the ideal elastic strain limit in silicon nanowires” Science Advances, 2, 1501382, 2016

11. Lu, Y., Huang, J.Y., Wang, C., Sun, S., Lou, J.* “Cold Welding of Ultrathin Gold Nanowires” Nature Nanotechnology, 5, 218-224, 2010