中文版
Dr. Xiong Zhang (张雄)
Professor, School of Aerospace Engineering
Dean, Dushi College
Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, P R China
Address: Room N915, Meng MinWei Science and Technology Building
Office Phone: +86 10 62782078
Email:
Home page: http://xzhang.comdyn.cn
My Google Scholar Profile
Scopus Author Identifier: 8077138200
ORCID iD: http://orcid.org/0000-0001-9905-281X
Web of Science ResearcherID: B-6733-2012
Material Point Method and MPM3D Code
Prof. Zhang received his B.S. degree in Physics from Ningxia University in 1986, and his M.S. (July 1989) and Ph.D. (July 1992) degrees in Computational Mechanics from Dalian University of Technology. After completing a postdoctoral fellowship at Chengdu University of Science and Technology (now Sichuan University) in June 1994, he joined Tsinghua University, where he has successively served as Assistant Researcher, Associate Researcher (December 1994), Professor (December 2003), and Doctoral Supervisor (September 2004). He also served as Director of the Institute of Engineering Dynamics (2007–2013), Secretary of the Party Branch of the Department of Aeronautics and Astronautics (April 2013–September 2016), Head of the Department of Aeronautics and Astronautics (September 2016–June 2020), and has been Dean of Dushi College since May 2024. During this period, he conducted collaborative research or academic visits at the University of Victoria (Canada), University of Manchester Institute of Science and Technology (UMIST) (UK), and The University of Hong Kong.
He was selected for the First Cohort of the Ministry of Education’s New Century Excellent Talents Support Program in 2004, and was named a National Distinguished Teacher in Higher Education in 2025. He has received numerous honors and awards, including the Second Prize of the Beijing Natural Science Award(2023), Second Prize of the Tianjin Natural Science Award (2023), First Prize of the XX Science and Technology Progress Award (2015), Second Prize (2009) and First Prize (2008) of the Ministry of Education Natural Science Award, the Beijing Distinguished Teaching Award for Higher Education (2015), Beijing Education Innovation Model Award (2003), Second Prize of the Beijing Higher Education Teaching Achievement Award (2004), the Qian Lingxi Award for Achievements in Computational Mechanics (2016), the Du Qinghua Award for Engineering Computational Methods (2015), the ICACM Computational Mechanics Award (2016), the ICACM Fellows Award(2011), the Tsinghua University New Century Teaching Achievement Award (2023), Tsinghua University Advanced Worker Award (2015, 2023), Tsinghua University Award for Excellence in Teaching and Education (2013), First Prize of the Tsinghua University Teaching Achievement Award (2012), the Tsinghua University Outstanding Young Teacher Teaching Award (2002), and the First Prize of the Tsinghua University Outstanding Teaching Software Award (2005), among others.
He has served as a Council Member of the Chinese Society of Theoretical and Applied Mechanics (2014–2019), a Member of the Computational Mechanics Committee of CSTAM (2003–2020), Vice Chair of the Committee on Impact and Protective Engineering of the Chinese Society for Vibration Engineering (2025– ), and Vice President of the Beijing Society for Vibration Engineering (2005– ).
He is currently an Associate Editor of the International Journal of Mechanics and Materials in Design, a Member of the Editorial Board of the International Journal of Computational Methods, Editorial Board Member of Coupled Systems Mechanics (2012–2017), Editorial Board Member of Acta Mechanica Solida Sinica (2011–2020), International Advisory Board Member of HKIE Transactions (2009–2015), Editorial Board Member of the Chinese Journal of Computational Mechanics and Computer-Aided Engineering, and an Executive Council Member of the International Chinese Association for Computational Mechanics (ICACM).
In recent years, his research has focused on fundamental theories and numerical methods in computational mechanics and their applications in science and engineering, with particular emphasis on multiscale numerical modeling of the mechanical behavior of materials and structures under strong impact loading (such as collision, impact, and explosion). His work addresses multi-media systems (rigid bodies, solids, and fluids) and multiphysics coupling involving mechanical, thermal, chemical, and electromagnetic fields. The numerical methodologies he develops and employs include meshfree and particle-based methods, the finite element method (FEM) and extended FEM (XFEM), and the finite volume method (FVM).
His research interests encompass computational impact dynamics, computational explosion mechanics, fluid–structure interaction, hypervelocity impact dynamics, high-performance computing and large-scale engineering structural analysis, as well as micro-/nano-mechanics and multiscale analysis, with broad applications in aerospace, mechanical, civil, energy, and transportation engineering.
He has served as principal investigator for multiple projects funded by the National Natural Science Foundation of China, the National Basic Research Program of China (973 Program), as well as numerous industry-sponsored projects. He has authored 4 research monographs, 5 textbooks, and 4 teaching software packages, and has published over 180 journal papers. One of his papers was selected among the “China’s 100 Most Influential Domestic Academic Papers” in 2012. He has been frequently invited to deliver plenary, semi-plenary, and keynote lectures at national and international conferences. Since 2015, he has been continuously listed as an Elsevier “Most Cited Chinese Researcher”, and was included in Stanford University’s list of the World’s Top 2% Scientists for career-long citation impact (2022; 2024– ) and single-year citation impact (2024– ).
He has taught a variety of core courses, including Theoretical Mechanics (National Excellent Course, National First-Class Undergraduate Course, and Tsinghua University Benchmark Course), Computational Dynamics (Tsinghua University Featured Graduate Course), and Fundamentals of the Finite Element Method (Qian Class Course and Tsinghua University Challenging Demonstration Course). Fundamentals of the Finite Element Method was ranked first among 14 selected courses in the “Graduating Class of 2015 Students’ Favorite Teachers and Courses”, while Theoretical Mechanics was selected as a “Students’ Favorite Teacher and Course” by the Graduating Class of 2025. In 2023, he received the Tsinghua University New Century Teaching Achievement Award.
He has supervised the graduation of over 20 Ph.D. students (including 7 as co-supervisor) and nearly 20 master’s students. Most of his Ph.D. graduates have taken positions at national key institutions, such as the First Academy of China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation (CASC), the Fifth Academy of CASC, the Institute of Applied Physics and Computational Mathematics, the China Classification Society, and the China Special Equipment Inspection and Research Institute, among others.
Education Background
- The Postgraduate Certificate in Teaching Science and Engineering in English, 2003.1~2003.5, The University of Manchester Institute of Science and Technology (UMIST), UK.
- Ph.D. of Computational Mechanics, Sept. 1989 ~ July 1992, Institute of Engineering Mechanics, Dalian University of Technology, P. R. China.
- M.Sc. of Computational Mechanics, Sept. 1986 ~ July 1989, Institute of Engineering Mechanics, Dalian University of Technology, P. R. China.
- B.Sc. of Education (Physics), Sept. 1982 ~ July 1986, Department of Physics, Ningxia University, P. R. China
Professional Experience
- 2003.12 – Present: Professor, School of Aerospace Engineering, Tsinghua University; Ph.D. Supervisor since 2004.09
- 2002.07 – 2016.02 (Periodic): Visiting Research Fellow, Dept. of Mechanical Engineering, The University of Hong Kong (HKU) (Multiple stints: Jan–Feb 2016, Jan–Feb 2015, Jan–Feb 2013, Jul–Sep 2006, Jan–Feb 2005, Jul–Aug 2002)
- 1997.08 – 1998.07: Visiting Scholar, Dept. of Mechanical Engineering, University of Victoria, Canada
- 1994.12 – 2003.11: Associate Researcher, Dept. of Engineering Mechanics, Tsinghua University
- 1994.06 – 1994.12: Assistant Researcher, Dept. of Engineering Mechanics, Tsinghua University
- 1992.08 – 1994.05: Postdoctoral Fellow, Dept. of Hydraulic Engineering, Chengdu University of Science and Technology (now Sichuan University)
Teaching Experience
- Fundamentals of Finite Element Method (2012 – Present)
Designation: Course for the Tsien Excellence in Engineering Program; Tsinghua University Challenging Demonstration Course. - Theoretical Mechanics (1999 – Present)
Designation: National First-class Undergraduate Course; National Excellent Course; Tsinghua University Benchmark Course and Category-A Course. - Computational Dynamics (1999 – 2013)
Designation: Core course for Master’s students, School of Aerospace Engineering; Tsinghua University Graduate Excellent Course. - Advanced Computational Solid Mechanics (2008 – 2012)
Contribution: Taught the section on Meshless Methods (Graduate course, School of Aerospace Engineering). - Seminar on Space Debris Protection for Spacecraft (2005 – 2007)
Designation: Undergraduate elective course, School of Aerospace Engineering. - Theory of Vibration (1998 – 1999)
Designation: Core course for Master’s students, Department of Engineering Mechanics. - Fundamentals of Programming (1996 – 1999)
Designation: Undergraduate restricted elective course, Department of Engineering Mechanics. - Expert Systems (1995 – 1997)
Designation: Undergraduate elective course, Department of Engineering Mechanics.
Professional Service
- Associate Editor, International Journal of Mechanics and Materials in Design (2014 – 2018, 2020 – Present)
- Editorial Board Member (2012.01 – 2018.12)
- Editorial Board Member, Computational Particle Mechanics (2025.09 – Present)
- Editorial Board Member, Nano Micro Mechanics Review (2025 – Present)
- Editorial Board Member, Chinese Journal of Computational Mechanics (《计算力学学报》) (2003 – Present)
- Editorial Board Member, Computer Aided Engineering (《计算机辅助工程》) (2010 – Present)
- Editorial Board Member, International Journal of Computational Methods (2004 – 2022)
- Editorial Board Member, Acta Mechanica Solida Sinica (2011 – 2020)
- Editorial Board Member, Coupled Systems Mechanics (2012 – 2017)
- International Advisor, HKIE Transactions (Hong Kong Institution of Engineers) (2009 – 2015)
- Vice Chairman, Technical Committee of Shock and Protection Engineering, China Society for Vibration Engineering (2025 – Present)
- Vice President, Beijing Society for Vibration Engineering (2005 – Present)
- Executive Council Member, International Chinese Association for Computational Mechanics (ICACM) (2007 – Present)
- Member, International Association for Computational Mechanics (IACM)
- Council Member, Chinese Society of Theoretical and Applied Mechanics (CSTAM) (2014 – 2019)
- Member, Technical Committee of Computational Mechanics, Chinese Society of Theoretical and Applied Mechanics (2003 – 2020)
- Head of Ningxia Student Recruitment Team, Tsinghua University (1999 – 2013)
Honors and Awards
- National Distinguished Teacher in Higher Education (2025)
- Voted "Favorite Teacher and Course" by the Tsinghua University Graduating Class of 2025 (Theoretical Mechanics)
- Tsinghua University Teaching Achievement Award (First Prize) (2025)
Project: "Generative Education: Innovation and Practice of the Talent Cultivation Model in the Tsien Excellence in Engineering Program" (Rank: 8/12) - Tsinghua University Teaching Achievement Award (First Prize) (2025)
Project: "Institutional Guarantee for the Inheritance of Teaching Style and Innovation in Value-Led Education Mechanisms" (Rank: 9/10) - Tsinghua University Teaching Achievement Award (First Prize) (2025)
Project: "Deep Learning and Immersive Advancement: A Teaching System Driven by the Synergy of Curriculum and Research" (Rank: 5/5) - Bao Gang Excellent Teacher Award (2024)
- World’s Top 2% Scientists, Stanford University, Career-long Scientific Impact List (2022, 2024), Single-year Impact List (2024)
- Beijing Natural Science Award (Second Prize) (2023)
Project: Theory and Algorithms of the Adaptive Material Point Finite Element Method for Extreme Deformation Problems - Tianjin Natural Science Award (Second Prize) (2023)
Project: Theoretical Methods and Algorithms for Multi-physics Fracture and Damage Analysis of Composite Structures - Tsinghua University New Centennial Teaching Achievement Award (2023)
- Tsinghua University Advanced Worker (2023, 2015)
- Tsinghua University Excellent Class Advisor (Second Prize) (2023)
- Exemplary Course Leader for Ideological and Political Education, Tsinghua University (Theoretical Mechanics, 2022)
- Leader of the Excellent Undergraduate Teaching Team in Beijing Universities (Theoretical Mechanics Teaching Team, 2021)
- Principal of National First-class Undergraduate Course (Theoretical Mechanics, 2020)
- Tsinghua University Excellent Textbook Award (First Prize) (2020)
Book: "Computational Dynamics" (2nd Edition), by Xiong Zhang, Tianshu Wang, and Yan Liu - Tsinghua University Annual Teaching Excellence Award (2017, 2020, 2022)
- Tsinghua University Benchmark Course (Theoretical Mechanics, 2019)
- Tsinghua University Advanced Collective Award (Theoretical Mechanics Teaching Group, 2018)
- Outstanding Contribution Award for Impact Enhancement, Acta Mechanica Sinica (2017)
- Qian Lingxi Computational Mechanics Achievement Award (2016)
- ICACM Computational Mechanics Award (2016)
- Most Cited Chinese Researcher, Elsevier (2015 – Present)
- Voted "Favorite Teacher and Course" by the Tsinghua University Graduating Class of 2015 (Ranked 1st for "Fundamentals of Finite Element Method")
Beijing Higher Education Teaching Master Award (2015) - Du Qinghua Award for Computational Methods in Engineering (2015)
- Special Contribution Award for the Tsien Excellence in Engineering Program, Tsinghua University (2015)
- Tsinghua University Advanced Individual in Teaching and Education (2013)
- Frontrunner 5000 (F5000): Top Articles in Outstanding S&T Journals of China (2012)
Paper: "Theory and Applications of Meshless Methods," Advances in Mechanics, 2009 - China's 100 Most Influential Domestic Academic Papers (2012)
- Tsinghua University Teaching Achievement Award (First Prize) (2012)
Project: Reform and Creation of a New Teaching System for Computational Solid Mechanics - ICACM Fellows Award (2011)
- Natural Science Award of the Ministry of Education (Second Prize) (2009)
Project: Research on New Efficient and Stable Meshless Methods - Natural Science Award of the Ministry of Education (First Prize) (2008)
Project: Innovative Research on Mechanics and Mechanisms of Carbon Nanomaterials and Devices - Outstanding Academic Paper Award (Second Prize), China Association for Science and Technology (2009)
- Tsinghua University Excellent Teaching Software Award (First Prize) (2005)
- Selected for the "New Century Excellent Talents Support Program", Ministry of Education (2004)
- Beijing Higher Education Teaching Achievement Award (Second Prize) (2004)
- Beijing Educational Innovation Exemplar (2003)
- Tsinghua University Excellence Award for Young Teachers (2002)
- Tsinghua-Friend Excellent Young Teacher Award (Second Prize) (1995, 1996)
- Liaoning Provincial Science and Technology Progress Award (Third Prize) (1991)
Selected Research Projects
- Adaptive Staggered Grid Solid-Shell Material Point Method for Structural Damage in Underwater Explosions (2025.01 – 2028.12)
Source: National Natural Science Foundation of China (NSFC: 12472204)
Role: Principal Investigator (PI) - Immersed Arbitrary Lagrangian-Eulerian Particle Method for Structural Damage under Explosion (2022.01 – 2025.12)
Source: National Natural Science Foundation of China (NSFC: 12172192)
Role: Principal Investigator (PI) - Extended Material Point Method for Dynamic Fracture and Fragmentation of Metals (2017.01 – 2020.12)
Source: National Natural Science Foundation of China (NSFC: 11672154)
Role: Principal Investigator (PI) - Numerical Simulation Methods and Software for Structural Mechanical Behavior under Intense Impact Loads (2014.01 – 2018.12)
Source: Major Project of the National Natural Science Foundation of China (NSFC: 11390363)
Role: Key Member - 3D Material Point Finite Element Method for Large-amplitude Sloshing in Liquid-filled Containers (2013.01 – 2016.12)
Source: National Natural Science Foundation of China (NSFC: 11272180)
Role: Principal Investigator (PI) - Modeling and Key Algorithms for Structural Failure Processes under Intense Impact Loads (2010.01 – 2014.12)
Source: National Basic Research Program of China (973 Program: 2010CB832701)
Role: Principal Investigator (PI) - Adaptive Material Point Meshless Method for Penetration and Explosion Problems (2009.01 – 2011.12)
Source: National Natural Science Foundation of China (NSFC)
Role: Principal Investigator (PI) - Smoothed Molecular Dynamics Theory and its Application in Multi-scale Analysis (2007.01 – 2009.12)
Source: National Natural Science Foundation of China (NSFC)
Role: Principal Investigator (PI) - Theoretical Research and Application of the Material Point Finite Element Method (2005.01 – 2005.12)
Source: National Natural Science Foundation of China (NSFC)
Role: Principal Investigator (PI) - Mechanical Modeling and Numerical Characterization of Mesoscopic Properties of Materials (2004.09 – 2009.08)
Source: National Basic Research Program of China (973 Program)
Role: Key Member - New Efficient 3D Meshless Methods for High-velocity Impact Problems (2002.01 – 2004.12)
Source: National Natural Science Foundation of China (NSFC)
Role: Principal Investigator (PI) - Weighted Residual Method with Compactly Supported Trial Functions (1998.01 – 2000.12)
Source: General Program of the National Natural Science Foundation of China (NSFC: 19772024)
Role: Key Member - New Methods for Stability Analysis of High Slopes (1996.01 – 1998.12)
Source: National Natural Science Foundation of China (NSFC)
Role: Principal Investigator (PI)