“The most interesting advances in materials science come from connecting ideas across fields,” says Assistant Professor James Utama Surjadi(opens in new tab)., f, from the Department of Mechanical Engineering(opens in new tab).
This interdisciplinary approach has shaped his work on metamaterials for which he was recently recognised with the 2026 Materials Research Society (MRS) Postdoctoral Award, one of the Society’s Spring 2026 awards.
The award recognises postdoctoral scholars showing exceptional promise through research excellence, leadership, advocacy, outreach or teaching. Asst Prof Surjadi was recognised for his work using defect engineering and architectural design to advance the mechanical properties of polymer and medium-entropy alloy metamaterials into a high-compliance regime.
“I'm honoured to receive this MRS Award for work that began with a rather simple question: what if we could design around the trade-offs that have traditionally limited materials?” he says. “I hope to continue using metamaterials to explore these unexpected possibilities across diverse applications.”
Asst Prof Surjadi joined NUS in May 2026 under the Presidential Young Professorship scheme, following four years as a Postdoctoral Associate in Mechanical Engineering at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). He received his BEng in Mechatronic Engineering and PhD in Mechanical Engineering from the City University of Hong Kong, where he was also one of three recipients of the University’s Outstanding Doctoral Research Award.
At CDE, he has established the Summit Research Group, which brings together mechanics, materials science, advanced manufacturing and electromechanical systems to develop sustainable, robust and multifunctional metamaterials. Its work spans AI-driven metamaterial design, scalable fabrication and multiscale characterisation through to integration into functional systems, with potential applications in areas including microelectronics, sensing and energy technologies.
As part of the recognition, Asst Prof Surjadi will present Tough by Design—What Metamaterials Can Learn from Hydrogels during the MRS Award Recipients Lightning Talks and Panel Discussion at the 2026 MRS Fall Meeting & Exhibit in Boston, Massachusetts.
The MRS Postdoctoral Award is supported by the Jiang Family Foundation and MTI Corporation.
