Integrating Physical Intelligence with Artificial Intelligence: Autonomous Design and Manufacturing of Emerging Material Systems
Achieving superior performance in future material systems hinges on optimizing the heterogeneity of materials and structures. However, the design and fabrication of such advanced systems present significant challenges, requiring the integration of knowledge across multiple domains—including materials science, manufacturing, structural mechanics, and design optimization. This talk introduces a paradigm shift toward unifying “physical intelligence” with artificial intelligence (AI) to realize “embodied intelligence” in material systems. By combining data-driven generative design with physics-based modeling and simulation, we enable seamless integration of predictive materials modeling, advanced manufacturing, and design optimization—accelerating the development and deployment of next-generation materials. We will present state-of-the-art design methodologies that leverage statistical inference and AI techniques for the design of nano- and microstructured materials and programmable metamaterials responsive to external stimuli, covering methods such as machine learning, mixed-variable Latent Variable Gaussian Process (LVGP) modeling, Bayesian optimization, differentiable simulation, topology optimization, and generative design. The talk will also highlight recent advances in digital twins for autonomous co-design and manufacturing, using additive manufacturing as an example to showcase how these tools are transforming the landscape of intelligent material systems.
Dr. Wei Chen is the Wilson-Cook Professor in Engineering Design and Chair of Department of Mechanical Engineering at Northwestern University. Directing the Integrated DEsign Automation Laboratory (IDEAL- http://ideal.mech.northwestern.edu/), her current research involves the use of statistical inference, AI, and uncertainty quantification techniques for design of emerging materials systems including microstructural materials, metamaterials and programmable materials. She serves as the Design Thrust lead for the newly funded NSF Engineering Research Center (ERC) on Hybrid Autonomous Manufacturing, Moving from Evolution to Revolution (HAMMER), where she works on digital twin systems for concurrent materials and manufacturing process design. Dr. Chen is an elected member of the National Academy of Engineering (NAE) and American Academy of Arts and Sciences (AAA&S). She served as the Editor-in-chief of the ASME Journal of Mechanical Design, the Chair of the ASME Design Engineering Division (DED), and the President of the International Society of Structural and Multidisciplinary Optimization (ISSMO). She currently serves as the chair of the ASME Mechanical Engineering Department Heads Executive Committee (MEDHEC). Dr. Chen is the recipient of the 2025 ASME Barnett-Uzgiris Product Safety Design Award, 2022 Engineering Science Medal from the Society of Engineering Science (SES), ASME Pi Tau Sigma Charles Russ Richards Memorial Award (2021), ASME Design Automation Award (2015), Intelligent Optimal Design Prize (2005), ASME Pi Tau Sigma Gold Medal achievement award (1998), and the NSF Faculty Career Award (1996). She received her Ph.D. in mechanical engineering from the Georgia Institute of Technology in 1995 and her MS in mechanical engineering from the University of Houston in 1992.
About Elizabeth D. Rockwell
A fourth generation Houstonian, Mrs. Rockwell was an Executive Director, Private Client Division of CIBC Oppenheimer Corp. She was widely recognized as an expert in retirement, estate, investment, and tax planning. She was an early proponent of the Keogh and IRA plans, for which she has been nationally recognized.
In 1991, she qualified to be a member of the Million Dollar Round Table as well as the Texas Leaders Round Table. Since 1990 she had authored a monthly column for the Houston Chronicle.
Mrs. Rockwell served as President of the UH College of Business Administration Foundation Board, as a member of the Dean’s Advisory Board, and was an Executive Professor for the college. She also served as a member of the advisory board of the Health Law and Policy Institute and as a Trustee of the University of Houston System’s Foundation, as well as a member of the UH System’s Planned Giving Council.
Mrs. Rockwell served on the Board of Governors for the Houston Forum, and as a Board member of the American Red Cross, the Greater Houston Women’s Foundation, the University of Houston Alumni Organization, and the Greater Houston Preservation Alliance. She was a member of the River Oaks Business Women’s Exchange Club, the National Tax Sheltered Annuity Association, the Texas Association of College Teachers, and the Houston Association of Life Underwriters.
Among her numerous honors, she has received an Honorary Doctorate of Humane Letters from the University of Houston, the Distinguished Alumna Award from the Houston Alumni Organization and from the UH College of Business Administration. Throughout the years she has been recognized for her many achievements by the Education Foundation of Harris County, the Houston Community College System’s Television Station Advisory Council, and the Houston Mayor’s READ Commission.
The Houston Alumni Center is home to the Elizabeth D. Rockwell President’s Suite. In September 1997, the Elizabeth D. Rockwell Career Services Center was opened in the UH College of Business Administration. She endowed the Chair for the Dean of the M.D. Anderson Library.
Mrs. Rockwell was listed in the Who’s Who in the South and Southwest; Who’s Who in finance and Industry; Who’s Who of American Women; and Who’s Who in the World.