October 2, 2025 | Rhonda Ward, Institute of Materials Science

Xueju ‘Sophie’ Wang Named 2026 Recipient of SEM’s James W. Dally Young Investigator Award

The award recognizes Wang for pioneering contributions to experimental mechanics of soft matter

The Wilbur Cross cuploa sits on a summer day surrounded by trees

The Wilbur Cross cuploa sits on a summer day in Storrs on Wednesday, May 28, 2025. (Sydney Herdle/UConn Photo)

Xueju “Sophie” Wang has been selected to receive the 2026 James W. Dally Young Investigator Award from the Society for Experimental Mechanics (SEM), an honor that recognizes rising leaders in experimental mechanics who combine excellence in research with meaningful contributions to education. The award recognizes Wang “for pioneering contributions to experimental mechanics of soft matter, including stimuli-responsive polymers and pressure-tolerant electronics for extreme environments.”

“I am deeply honored and humbled to receive the James W. Dally Young Investigator Award. This recognition of my work on the experimental mechanics of soft matter is truly inspiring and motivates me to continue advancing this research,” Wang said in reaction to the honor.

Xueju "Sophie" Wang
Xueju “Sophie” Wang (UConn Photo).

The award will be conferred upon Sophie at an awards luncheon to be held on Wednesday, June 3, 2026, during the SEM Conference and Exposition which is scheduled for June 1–4, 2026, in Norfolk, Virginia.

Wang is an associate professor in the Department of Materials Science and Engineering. Her research spans soft, stimuli‑responsive materials and multifunctional structures, with applications that include flexible and bio‑integrated electronics and soft robotics.

Wang’s work has been published in such distinguished journals as Nature Communications, Matter, Materials Horizons, Journal of the Mechanics and Physics of Solids (JMPS), and Advanced Functional Materials. She has also been recognized with numerous honors, including the NSF CAREER Award, Office of Naval Research (ONR) Young Investigator Award, NIH Trailblazer Award, ASME Orr Early Career Award, Extreme Mechanics Letters (EML) Young Investigator Award, and the Soft Matter Emerging Investigator.

SEM’s J. W. Dally Young Investigator Award honors James W. Dally, a pioneering educator and researcher known for foundational advances in experimental methods for dynamic fracture mechanics and stress‑wave propagation, as well as for leadership in engineering education. The award recognizes a young professional within 10 years of the Ph.D. who has demonstrated excellence in both education and research in experimental mechanics; it is presented at the SEM Annual Conference.

 

Founded as an international society spanning academia, government, and industry, SEM advances the development and application of experimental methods to deepen understanding of materials, structures, and systems.

Learn more: Details about the J. W. Dally Young Investigator Award are available on SEM’s website.