Faculty Directory

Dr. Po-Yen Chen is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering at the University of Maryland, College Park (UMD), with an affiliate appointment in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering. He is also a core member of the Maryland Robotics Center (MRC) and the Artificial Intelligence Interdisciplinary Institute at Maryland (AIM). Dr. Chen earned his B.S. in Chemical Engineering from National Taiwan University (NTU) and his Ph.D. in Chemical Engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). Prior to joining UMD, he served as an Assistant Professor at the National University of Singapore (NUS) and conducted independent research as a Hibbitt Early Career Fellow at Brown University.

Dr. Chen’s research operates at the convergence of machine learning (ML), robotic automation, and materials science. His group integrates predictive and generative modeling with automated experimentation to accelerate the discovery of high-performance, sustainable, and functional materials. By bypassing the bottlenecks of traditional trial-and-error methods, his work addresses complex challenges in multi-component formulation and multi-property optimization. This integrated workflow significantly accelerates the development of materials with programmable properties, targeting urgent global issues such as plastic pollution and resource depletion. The AI-discovered materials emerging from his lab have broad applications, ranging from biodegradable packaging and conductive aerogels to smart soft robotics and sustainable technologies.

Please see our full publication list on Our Group Website or Google Scholar.

In the publication list below, * indicates the corresponding author, and ^ marks equal contribution. My name is underlined, and contributions from my Ph.D., master’s, and undergraduate students are marked with #.

REPRESENTATIVE PUBLICATIONS

• H. Yang^#, Q. Chen, T. Chen^#, Y. Li^#, E. A. Norris^#, J. M. Little^#, J. Sun, S. Shrestha^#, E. Chen, S. Ren, T. Li*, P.-Y. Chen*, “Predictive Design of Ultrastretchable Electrodes with Strain-Insensitive Performance via Machine–Human Collaboration.” Nature Communications (2026).
• Y. Li^^,#, S. Schreiber^, H. Yang^#, M. Liu, J. M. Little^#, Y. Luo, Y. Bao*, C.-J. Shih*, H. Bai*, P.-Y. Chen*, “From Molecules to Machines: A Multiscale Roadmap to Intelligent, Multifunctional Soft Robotics.” Chemical Review 125, 8123 (2025).
• S. Shrestha^#, K. J. Barvenik, T. Chen^#, H. Yang^#, Y. Li^#, M. M. Kesavan^#, J. M. Little^#, H. C. Whitley^#, Z. Teng, Y. Luo, E. Tubaldi*, P.-Y. Chen*, “Machine Intelligence Accelerated Design of Conductive MXene Aerogels with Programmable Properties.” Nature Communications 15, 4685 (2024).
• T. Chen^^,#, Z. Pang^, S. He^^,#, Y. Li^#, S. Shrestha^#, J. M. Little^#, H. Yang^#, T.-C. Chung^#, J. Sun, I-C. Lee, T. J. Woehl, T. Li*, L. Hu*, P.-Y. Chen*, “Machine Intelligence-Accelerated Discovery of All-Natural Plastic Substitutes.” Nature Nanotechnology 19, 782 (2024).
• H. Yang,^ J. Li,^ X. Xiao,^ J. Wang,^ Y. Li, K. Li, Z. Li, H. Yang, Q. Wang, J. Yang, J. S. Ho, P.-L. Yeh, K. Mouthaan, X. Wang, S. Shah*, P.-Y. Chen*, “Topographic Design in Wearable MXene Sensors with In-Sensor Machine Learning for Full-Body Avatar Reconstruction.” Nature Communications 13, 5311 (2022).
• H. Yang, J. Li, K. Z. Lim, C. Pan, T. V. Truong, Q. Wang, K. Li, S. Li, X. Xiao, M. Ding, T. Chen, X. Liu, Q. Xie, P. Valdivia y Alvarado, X. Wang*, P.-Y. Chen*, “Automatic Strain Sensor Design via Active Learning and Data Augmentation for Soft Machines.” Nature Machine Intelligence 4, 84 (2022).
• H. Yang^^,#, J. Li^, X. Xiao^, J. Wang^, Y. Li, K. Li^#, Z. Li, H. Yang^#, Q. Wang, J. Yang^#, J. S. Ho, P.-L. Yeh, K. Mouthaan, X. Wang, S. Shah*, P.-Y. Chen*, “Topographic Design in Wearable MXene Sensors with In-Sensor Machine Learning for Full-Body Avatar Reconstruction.” Nature Communications 13, 5311 (2022).
• H. Yang^^,#, J. Li^, K. Z. Lim, C. Pan, T. V. Truong, Q. Wang, K. Li^#, S. Li^#, X. Xiao, M. Ding^#, T. Chen^#, X. Liu, Q. Xie, P. Valdivia y Alvarado, X. Wang*, P.-Y. Chen*, “Automatic Strain Sensor Design via Active Learning and Data Augmentation for Soft Machines.” Nature Machine Intelligence 4, 84 (2022). (link)
• L. Jing^#, Q. Xie, H. Li, K. Li^#, H. Yang^#, P. L. P. Ng^#, S. Li^#, E. H. T. Teo, X. Wang*, P.-Y. Chen*, “Multigenerational Crumpling of 2D Materials for Anticounterfeiting Patterns with Deep Learning Authentication.” Matter 3, 2160 (2020).
• H. Yang^^,#, B. S. Yeow^, Z. Li^, K. Li^#, T.-H. Chang^#, L. Jing^#, Y. Li^#, J. S. Ho, H. Ren, P.-Y. Chen*, “Multifunctional Metallic Backbones for Origami Robotics with Strain Sensing and Wireless Communication Capabilities.” Science Robotics 4, eaax7020 (2019).