Awarded 2026
Fracture-Guided Design for Intelligent 4D-Printed Adaptive Structures
Developing a fracture-guided design framework for 4D-printed structures that can detect damage and adapt their shape or behaviour.
View ARC grant record ↗BioE Design Lab
Leo Zhang
Western Sydney University
Computational mechanics · Additive manufacturing · Adaptive structures.
01 / About
Research grounded in mechanics.
BioE Design Lab is my research platform for mechanics-informed design and advanced manufacturing. I combine computational modelling, fracture analysis and experimental evidence to understand how materials and structures behave, and to guide design for engineering and biomedical applications.
I am a Senior Lecturer in Mechanical Engineering at Western Sydney University and Program Lead for undergraduate programs in Advanced Manufacturing, Mechanical, Mechatronic and Materials Engineering. I welcome research and industry collaborations, as well as enquiries from prospective research students.
02 / Research
Research areas
Computational mechanics underpins my research in fracture, adaptive structures, additive manufacturing and biomedical engineering.
01
Fracture Mechanics & Adaptive Structures
Understanding fracture and using it to guide the design of structures that can adapt.
Explore this area 02Computational Design & Additive Manufacturing
Connecting process, material behaviour and structural performance in ceramic and metal manufacturing.
Explore this area 03Biomechanics & Biomedical Engineering
Applying mechanics and design methods to dental structures and tissue scaffolds.
Explore this area03 / Funding
Research funding
Competitive research funding from the Australian Research Council.
Fellowship period: 2023–2026
Computational Design of Defect-Free Additively Manufactured Ceramic Structures
Developing computational design methods to address residual stress, distortion and cracking in ceramic additive manufacturing.
View ARC grant record ↗04 / People
People & opportunities
Dr Zhongpu (Leo) ZhangLab lead · Senior Lecturer in Mechanical Engineering · Western Sydney University
I collaborate with PhD researchers and their supervisors on projects spanning computational mechanics, bioengineering and advanced manufacturing. I also contribute as a co-supervisor where relevant.
Prospective PhD and MPhil students are welcome to get in touch about computational mechanics, fracture, advanced materials and additive manufacturing. Please include your background and the question you would like to investigate.
Enquire about research study ↗05 / Publications
Selected publications
A selection of recent work. See Google Scholar for the full and current list.
06 / Contact
Research & industry collaboration
I welcome academic and industry enquiries on material failure, structural modelling and additive manufacturing, including opportunities for joint research and experimental validation.
Prospective PhD and MPhil students are also welcome to enquire. Please include your research interests and academic background. For collaboration enquiries, send a brief outline of the research question or engineering challenge.
Leo.Zhang@westernsydney.edu.au ↗Western Sydney University · Sydney, Australia