MechE Colloquium with Wei Chen: "Integrating Physical Intelligence with Artificial Intelligence: Autonomous Design and Manufacturing of Emerging Material Systems"

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Date: Friday, October 23, 2026 Location: 3-270 Time: 3:30pm-4:30pm ET Speaker: Wei Chen Wilson-Cook Professor in Engineering Design Mechanical Engineering Materials Science & Engineering Industrial Engineering & Management Science Northwestern University Visiting Professor, Mechanical Engineering, MIT Host: Associate Professor Faez Ahmed Talk title: Integrating Physical Intelligence with Artificial Intelligence: Autonomous Design and Manufacturing of Emerging Material Systems Abstract: Achieving superior performance in future material systems hinges on optimizing the heterogeneity of materials and structures. However, the design and fabrication of such advanced systems present significant challenges, requiring the integration of knowledge across multiple domains—including materials science, manufacturing, structural mechanics, and design optimization. This talk introduces a paradigm shift toward unifying “physical intelligence” with artificial intelligence (AI) to realize “embodied intelligence” in material systems. By combining data-driven generative design with physics-based modeling and simulation, we enable seamless integration of predictive materials modeling, advanced manufacturing, and design optimization—accelerating the development and deployment of next-generation materials. We will present state-of-the-art design methodologies that leverage statistical inference and AI techniques for the design of nano- and microstructured materials and programmable metamaterials responsive to external stimuli, covering methods such as machine learning, mixed-variable Latent Variable Gaussian Process (LVGP) modeling, differentiable simulation, topology optimization, and generative design. The talk will also highlight recent advances in digital twins for autonomous co-design and manufacturing, using additive manufacturing as an example to showcase how these tools are transforming the landscape of intelligent engineered systems. Bio: Dr. Wei Chen is the Wilson-Cook Professor in Engineering Design and the immediate Past Chair of the Department of Mechanical Engineering at Northwestern University. She holds courtesy appointments in both Materials Science and Engineering and Industrial Engineering and Management Sciences. As director of the Integrated Design Automation Laboratory (IDEAL; http://ideal.mech.northwestern.edu/), her research focuses on the development of statistical inference, artificial intelligence (AI), uncertainty quantification and engineering optimization techniques to addressing complex engineering design and manufacturing problems. Dr. Chen is an elected member of both the National Academy of Engineering (NAE) and the American Academy of Arts and Sciences (AAA&S). She has served as Editor-in-Chief of the ASME Journal of Mechanical Design, Chair of the ASME Design Engineering Division (DED), and President of the International Society of Structural and Multidisciplinary Optimization (ISSMO). Dr. Chen received her Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering from the Georgia Institute of Technology in 1995.