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Photo of Chen, Zhantao

zhantao@austin.utexas.edu
Office Location: EER 6.614B

Zhantao Chen

Assistant Professor

Department Research Areas

Advanced Materials Science and Engineering

Research Interests

Computational materials science; AI for science; Agentic AI for scientific discovery; Neutron and x-ray scattering; Inverse problems

Bio

Zhantao Chen is an Assistant Professor in the Walker Department of Mechanical Engineering at The University of Texas at Austin, where he leads the Group for AI in Materials Modeling and Analytics (GAMMA). Prior to joining UT Austin in 2025, Dr. Chen was a Research Associate at SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory (2022–2025). He received his Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 2022. Dr. Chen’s research develops artificial intelligence and machine learning methods for materials modeling, characterization, and discovery, with the vision of enabling AI-driven autonomous research platforms. His long-term goal is to integrate design, synthesis, and characterization into closed-loop, intelligent workflows that accelerate materials discovery and advance fundamental materials science.

Educational Qualifications

  • Ph.D., Mechanical Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 2022
  • S.M., Mechanical Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 2018
  • B.Eng., Ocean Engineering, Harbin Institute of Technology, 2016

Select Awards & Honors

  1. SLAC Director's Award (2023)

Related Websites

https://zhantaochen.github.io/gamma-ut-austin/

Select Publications

Google Scholar