Dr. Hang Zhang, a Research Fellow and leader of the Life-Inspired Soft Matter group at Aalto University, was granted a prestigious ERC Starting Grant of 1.5 million euros for a project called DIMENSION to create coupled physical feedback loops in hydrogels with varying dimensions..
With the grant, Zhang and his team will develop hydrogel systems powered by a laser beam with built-in feedback mechanisms. These mechanisms will enable the hydrogels to sense external stimuli and respond adaptively. The project aims to create feedback-controlled systems across different dimensions, from 1D to 3D, providing new models and approaches for tuning dimensionality.
Dr. Hang Zhang joined the group of Prof. Olli Ikkala (Molecular Materials) as a postdoctoral researcher in 2017 at Aalto University after receiving his Dr.rer.nat. in Chemistry from RWTH-Aachen University. He was granted an Academy Postdoctoral fellowship in 2020, and a research fellowship from the Research Council of Finland in 2024, in addition to this ERC Starting Grant.
Leran more about Dr. Hang Zhang and his research: