Faculty Profiles

J. S. Chen’s research interests center around computational mechanics, multiscale materials modeling, and machine learning enhanced data-driven computing, with a focus on development of advanced Finite Element and Meshfree Methods for dynamic and nonlinear mechanics of materials, solids, coupled physics problems, manifold learning, thermodynamics-based data-driven computing, and digital twin applications.

Capsule Bio:

J. S. Chen earned his undergraduate degree from National Central University (1978-1982) in Taiwan, and received master's (1986) and Ph.D. (1989) from Northwestern University. He worked in GenCorp's Research Division from 1989 to 1994. From 1994 to 2001, he held a faculty position in the Mechanical Engineering Department of The University of Iowa before moving to UCLA in 2001, where he served as the Chair of Civil & Environmental Engineering Department from 2007 to 2012. He was the Chancellor's Professor in the Civil & Environmental Engineering Department at UCLA and also Professor of Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering Department and Mathematics Department. In 2013, he joined the Structural Engineering Department of UC San Diego as the inaugural holder of the William Prager Endowed Chair. He is also Professor of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering at the Jacobs School of Engineering at UC San Diego.

Selected Awards and Honors:

• Yushan Fellow, Ministry of Education, Taiwan, 2024.
• Raymond D. Mindlin Medal, ASCE Engineering Mechanics Institute, 2024.
• Computational Mechanics Award, Japan Association for Computational Mechanics (JACM), 2021.
• Grand Prize, Japan Society for Computational Engineering and Science (JSCES), 2020.
• The Belytschko Medal, U.S. Association for Computational Mechanics (formerly USACM Computational Structural Mechanics Award), June, 2017
• Ted Belytschko Applied Mechanics Award, ASME Applied Mechanics Division, November, 2016.
• Elected President of ASCE Engineering Mechanics Institute (EMI), 2015 - 2017.
• The Computational Mechanics Award, International Association for Computational Mechanics (IACM), 2012.
• The ICACM Award, International Chinese Association for Computational Mechanics (ICACM), 2011.
• President, US Association for Computational Mechanics, 2010-2012.
• Outstanding Alumnus of National Central University, Taiwan, 2007.
• Chancellor's Professor, UCLA, 2006-2013.
• James Lightners Faculty Fellowship, The University of Iowa, 2001.
• Faculty Scholar Award, The University of Iowa, 2000.
• Carver Scientific Research Initiation Award, The University of Iowa, 1996.
• GenCorp Technology Achievement Award, GenCorp, 1991.
• Fellow of USACM, IACM, ASME, EMI, SES, ICACM, and ICCEES.