Principal Investigator
Dr. Jun Xu, Associate Professor
Director, Battery Complexity, Autonomous Vehicle and Electrification (BATT CAVE) Research Center
Director, Vehicle Energy & Safety Laboratory (VESL)

Department of Mechanical Engineering & Engineering Sciences
University of North Carolina at Charlotte
Charlotte, NC 28223, USA

Office: Room 112, Motorsports Research Building
Email: jun.xu@uncc.edu
Tel: (704)-687-8240
​        Dr. Jun Xu is an Associate Professor (tenured) in the Department of Mechanical Engineering & Engineering Science at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte. Dr. Xu is appointed as the founding Director of the Battery Complexity, Autonomous Vehicle and Electrification (BATT CAVE) Research Center at UNC Charlotte. He has been the Director of Vehicle Energy & Safety Laboratory (VESL, formally known as AVRC) soon after he earned his Ph.D. degree from Columbia University in 2014. He was appointed a Professor at Beihang University, China from 2014 to 2018 and then moved his group to UNC Charlotte, USA. His research expertise sits in the multiphysics modeling and characterization of lithium-ion battery safety and advanced design and understanding of structures upon dynamic loading.
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Dr. Jun Xu's academic service includes:
  • 07/2022-Now: Executive member of the Advanced Energy System Division (AESD), ASME
  • 11/2022-11/2023: Energy Track Organizer for IMECE 2023, ASME
  • 2018-Now: Founder and Chair of the Automotive & Battery Safety Conference (ABSC)
  • 2022-Now: Associate Editor, ASME Journal of Electrochemical Energy Conversion and Storage (JEECS)
  • 2021-Now: Associate Editor, Scientific Reports
  • 11/2020-11/2022: Chair of Energy Conversion & Storage Technical Committee, ASME
  • 11/2020-11/2022: Chair of Multifunctional Materials Technical Committee, ASME
  • 11/2021-11/2022: Energy Track Co-Organizer for IMECE 2022, ASME

Postdoc Fellows

Dr. Xiang Gao  Email: xgao6@uncc.edu​
  • May 2021-Now: Postdoc fellow, Mechanical Engineering, UNC Charlotte​, USA
  • Fall 2018-May 2021: Ph.D. Mechanical Engineering, UNC Charlotte​, USA
  • 2016-2018: Ph.D. student Automotive Engineering, Beihang University, China
  • 2012-2016: B.S. Automotive Engineering, Beihang University, China
  • Research interest: Multi-physics and multiscale modeling of Si/C particles
Dr. Chunhao Yuan  Email: cyuan2@uncc.edu
  • Jan 2023-Now: Postdoc fellow, Mechanical Engineering, UNC Charlotte​, USA
  • Aug 2019-Dec 2022 : Ph.D.  Mechanical Engineering, UNC Charlotte, USA
  • 2018-2019: Ph.D. student Automotive Engineering, Beihang University, China
  • 2014-2018: B.S. Automotive Engineering, Beihang University, China
  • Research interest: Multiphysics modeling of solid-state battery

Ph.D. Students

Ms. Jiani Li  Email: jli76@uncc.edu
  • Fall 2020-Now: Ph.D. Candidate Mechanical Engineering, UNC Charlotte, USA
  • 2016-2018: M.S. student Automotive Engineering, Beihang University, China
  • 2012-2016: B.S. Automotive Engineering, Beijing University of Science and Technology, China
  • Research interest: Multiphysics modeling of Li plating
Mr. John Sherman  Email: jsherm18@uncc.edu
  • Fall 2022-: Ph.D. Student, Mechanical Engineering, UNC Charlotte
  • 2019-2022: B.S. Mechanical Engineering, UNC Charlotte
  • 2018-2019: Wake Technical Community College
  • Research interest: Battery safety
Mr. Michael Chak   Email: cchak@uncc.edu
  • Jan 2023 - Now: Ph.D. Student, Mechanical Engineering, UNC Charlotte, USA
  • Aug 2022 – Dec 2022: M.S. Student, Mechanical Engineering, UNC Charlotte, USA
  • 2018 – 2022: B.S. Mechanical Engineering, SUSTech, China
  • Research Interest: Multiphysics Modelling and Battery Safety
Mr. Anirudh Chandrasekar   Email: achand23@uncc.edu
  • Jan 2023 - Now: Ph.D. Student, Mechanical Engineering, UNC Charlotte, USA
  • Aug 2017 – May 2019: M.S. Student, Industrial Engineering, NC State, USA
  • 2013 – 2017: B.S. Mechanical Engineering, SRM University, India
  • Research Interest: Battery Manufacturing

M.S. Students

Mr. Carlos Butz Monroy   Email: cbutzmon@uncc.edu
  • 2022-: M.S. Student, Mechanical Engineering, UNC Charlotte (Early-entry)
  • 2018-2022: B.S. Mechanical Engineering, UNC Charlotte
  • Research interest: Impact Dynamics

Undergraduates

Mr. Luigi Stanisa   Email: lstanisa@uncc.edu​
  • 2020-: B.S. Student, Mechanical Engineering, UNC Charlotte 
  • Research interest: Battery Safety

VESL Alumni

Mr. Jieer Cao, 2014-2014, B.S. (VESL experience), CEO of SafeCise LLC
Mr. Hongshun Chen, 2014, B.S., Ph.D. student at Virginia Tech.
Dr. Shi Shang, 2014-2016, M.S. (1st M.S. student), Postdoc at Tsinghua University
Dr. Kangpei Meng, 2014-2016, M.S., Associate Professor at Ningbo University of Technology
Ms. Yanting Zheng, 2015-2017, M.S., Engineer at CATRC
Mr. Hanlin Jiang, 2015-2017, M.S., Engineer at GAC
Ms. Jiani Li, 2016-2018, M.S., Ph.D. student at UNC Charlotte
Ms. Yijing Wu, 2015-2017, M.S., Engineer of Chinese Society of Automotive Engineers
Mr. Yaobo Wu, 2015-2017, M.S., CTO of SafeCise LLC
Dr. Binghe Liu, 2014-2018, Ph.D., Associate Professor at Chongqing University
Dr. Yundan Gan, 2017-2018, Postdoc, N/A
Mr. Bowen Zheng, 2017-2018, B.S. & Ph.D. (1st year), Ph.D. student at UC Berkeley
Dr. Yikai Jia, 2017-2022, Ph.D., Postdoc at UNC Charlotte
Mr. Haoyu Chen, 2017-2018, M.S., N/A
Mr. Huitian Wang, 2017-2018, M.S., N/A
Ms. Yuwei Liu, 2017-2018, M.S., N/A
Ms. Danping Xiong, 2017-2018, M.S., N/A
Dr. Zheng Li, 2018-2018, B.S., Engineer at Rivian
Dr. Lubing Wang, 2015-2020, Ph.D., Associate Professor at Ningbo University
Mr. Aditiya Sonwane, 2018-2020, M.S., Engineer at Blacks & Decker
Dr. Xiang Gao, 2016-2021, Ph.D., Postdoc at UNC Charlotte
Dr. Wen Zhang, 2016-2022, Ph.D. & Postdoc (1st year), Engineer at NURO
Mr. Nicholas B. Winz: 2019-2022, M.S., N/A
Dr. Yikai Jia: 2018-2022, Ph.D. & Postdoc (1st year), N/A