Portrait of Guangjin Mou

Guangjin Mou

Theoretical mechanics · Mechanical metamaterials

I study how symmetry shapes the mechanical response of materials, from constitutive theory to metamaterials design.

I joined the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST) as an RTH Postdoctoral Fellow in 2025. I received my Ph.D. in Mechanics from Sorbonne University (d’Alembert Lab) in 2024. Previously, I earned an engineering degree in Materials Science from ENIM and a bachelor’s degree in Aircraft Propulsion Engineering from Nanjing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics (NUAA).

I am currently seeking faculty positions worldwide.

From Symmetry to Mechanics

Drawing on group theory and the geometry of mechanical constitutive spaces, I develop a theory of “exotic anisotropy” to control the anisotropy of mechanical constitutive laws. This theory clarifies the constitutive conditions under which lower-symmetry materials exhibit specific higher-symmetry mechanical responses.

Snowflake
Snowflake
Starfish
Starfish
Protein structure
Protein structure
Symmetries in nature inspire mechanics research.

I use topology optimisation to construct metamaterials that meet these conditions and work with collaborators to validate them experimentally, forming a research pathway from constitutive theory through materials design to experimental validation. I plan to extend this pathway to dynamic problems, investigating the effects of exotic anisotropy on elastic-wave propagation and phononic responses, and exploring the design of on-chip acoustic functions for communication devices.

Publications

Invariant-space distribution and symmetry classes for R0-orthotropy.

Elasticity tensor space embedded in invariant coordinates and the location (line OB) of R0-orthotropy in this space.

Fabricated metamaterial specimen during uniaxial tensile testing.

Design of R0 material and identification from a single tensile test

Elasticity tensor space with its scientific symmetry-class labels.

Location of exotic anisotropies in 3D elasticity tensor space of transversely isotropic class.

Three realised metamaterial structures with their responses: UTI, uncoupled volumetric–deviatoric response; TTIY, isotropic Young’s modulus; and TIID, isotropic deviatoric elasticity.

Three representative exotic metamaterial designs .

Collaborative work

Get in touch

For faculty opportunities and research collaborations.

mouguangjin@ust.hk ↗