Department Chair Mechanical Engineering

Yen-Lin Han, PhD — Faculty ; Professor, Department Chair ; Department of Mechanical Engineering , College of Science & Engineering ; Areas of Expertise: Soft Robotics | Medical Devices | Autonomous Vehicles | Energy Systems | Engineering Education .

Profile Type:

Professor and Department Chair

  1. Faculty & Staff Directory
  2. Yen-Lin Han, PhD

Dr. Han is a passionate engineering educator and has mentored dozens of undergraduate research projects, resulting in numerous publications in soft robotics and medical device applications.

Biography

Dr. Yen-Lin Han, Professor and Chair of the Department of Mechanical Engineering at Ï㽶ÊÓƵ, Seattle, WA, USA, received her BS degree in Materials Science and Engineering from National Tsing-Hua University in Hsinchu, Taiwan, her PhD degree in Aerospace and Mechanical Engineering, and her MS degree in Electrical Engineering from the University of Southern California, Los Angeles, USA. Her current research interest focuses on soft robotics in medical devices, for which she received the NSF Mid-Career Advancement (MCA) award in 2023. She holds four U.S. patents, and has more than two dozen pending patents worldwide iled by PACCAR, on autonomous vehicles since 2018. She is a passionate Engineering Educator and experienced in developing high-impact pedagogical practices. She was the Co-PI for the NSF Revolutionizing Engineering and Computer Science Departments grant a,warded to the Mechanical Engineering department at Ï㽶ÊÓƵ t,o study how thchanges inepartment culture chn foster students' engineering identity w,ith the long-term goal of increasing the representation of women and minorities in the field of engineering.

Education

  • University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA
  • Ph.D., Mechanical Engineering (2006)
  • University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA
  • Master of Science, Electrical Engineering (2008)
  • California State University Dominguez Hills, Carson, CA
  • Master of Business Administration, General Management (1999)
  • National Tsing-Hua University, Hsin-Chu, Taiwan
  • Bachelor of Science, Materials Science and Engineering, Minor in Economics (1993)

Courses Taught

  • Thermalfluid Sciences
  • Data Acquisition
  • Numerical Methods
  • Dynamic Systems and Control

Publications

Publications and Scholarly Work

Peer-Reviewed Journal Publications (13 total)

Engineering Education:

  1. Mejia, K., Hoang, S., Han, Y.-L. (2025). Career paths and building a supportive net-work for female faculty of color. International Journal of Engineering, Social Justice,and Peace. DOI: 10.24908/ijesjp.v12i1.19022.
  2. Han, Y.-L., Turns, J., Cook, K., Mason, G., and Shuman, T.R. (2022). Students’Experience of an Integrated Electrical Engineering and Data Acquisition Course in an Undergraduate Mechanical Engineering Curriculum. IEEE Transactions on Education, 65(3), 331-343.
  3. Han, Y.-L., Cook, K., Mason, G., & Shuman, T.R. (2018). Enhance Engineering Design Education in the Middle Years with Authentic Engineering Problems. ASME Journal of Mechanical Design, 140, 122001-1–122001-9.
  4. Cook, K., Han, Y.-L., Shuman, T.R., & Mason, G. (2017). Effects of Integrating Authentic Engineering Problem Centered Learning on Student Problem. International Journal of Engineering Education, 33(1A), 272–282.
  5. Shuman, T.R., Mason, G., Han, Y.-L., & Cook, K. (2016). A Novel Approach to Educating Engineers: Learning in an Inverted Classroom through Problems Designed by Engineering Professionals. Journal of Applied Engineering Science, 14(3), 329–334.

Technical Research (undergraduate student’s name underlined):

  1. Lau, L., Han, Y.-L. (2016). Exploring a Novel Heating Probe Design for Tumor Ablation. Journal of Medical Devices, 10(3), 030930.
  2. Zhao, S., Jiang, B., Maeder, T., Muralt, P., Kim, N., Matam, S. K., Jeong, E., Han, Y.-L., and Koebel, M. M. (2015). Dimensional and Structural Control of Silica Aerogel Membranes for Miniaturized Motionless Gas Pumps. ACS Applied Materials and Interfaces, 7(33), 18803–18814.
  3. Muntz, E.P., Han, Y.-L. (2011). Performance Analysis of the Continuous Trace Gas Preconcentrator. Physics of Fluids, 23, 030605.
  4. Han, Y.-L. (2010). Working Gas Temperature and Pressure Changes for Microscale Thermal Creep Driven Flow Caused by Discontinuous Wall Temperatures. Fluid Dynamics Research, 42, 045505.
  5. Han, Y.-L., Young, M. (2009). Continuous Preconcentrator for Trace-Gas Analysis. Recent Patents on Mechanical Engineering, 2(3), 214-227.
  6. Han, Y.-L. (2008). Thermal-Creep-Driven Flows in Knudsen Compressors and Re-lated Nano/Microscale Gas Transport Channels. Journal of Microelectromechanical Systems, 13(4), 984-997.
  7. Han, Y.-L., Muntz, E.P. (2007). An Experimental Investigation Micro/Meso-Scale Knudsen Compressors at Low Pressures. Journal of Vacuum Science & Technology B, 25(3), 703-714.
  8. Han, Y.-L. Alexeenko, A. A., Young, M., Muntz, E. P. (2007). Experimental and Computational Studies of Temperature Gradient Driven Molecular Transport in Gas Flows Through Nano/Micro-Scale Channels. Nanoscale and Microscale Thermophysical Engineering, 11(1&2), 151-175.

Peer-Reviewed Conference Proceedings (45 total)

Engineering Education (5 selected publications):

  1. Han, Y.-L., Bae, W., Crowe, J. C., Rellihan, M. (2025), ”Lessons Learned- Facilitating Conversations around Generative AI and its Impact on Society,” 2025 ASEE Annual Conference, Montreal, Canada.
  2. Han, Y.-L., Turns, J., Cook, K., Mason, G., Shuman, T.R. (2024). ”An Inspiration Kit for Building a Culture that Fosters Engineering Identity,” 2024 ASEE Annual Conference, Portland, OR.
  3. Han, Y.-L., Cook, K., Mason, G., Shuman, T.R., Turns, J. (2020). Engineering with Engineers: Fostering Engineering Identity through Industry Immersion. 2020 ASEE Annual Conference and Exposition, Montreal, Qu´ebec, Canada.
  4. Cook, K., Han, Y.-L., Mason, G., Shuman, T.R., Turns, J. (2019). Implicit Engineering Identity in the Mechanical Engineering Major. Proceedings of 2019 ASEE Annual Conference and Exposition, Tampa, FL.
  5. Han, Y.-L., Cook, K. E., Shuman, T. R., Mason, G. S. (2016). Development of Authentic Engineering Problems for Problem-Centered Learning. Proceedings of 2016 ASEE Annual Conference and Exposition, New Orleans, Louisiana.

Technical Research with Undergraduate Students (14 publications - undergraduate students’ names underlined):

  1. Young, J. C., Olson, E., Do, T., Shuman, M., Ohta, D., Han, Y.-L. (2024), ”Spider Legs Inspired Soft Robotic Extensor for Hand Rehabilitation,” 2024 IEEE International Conference on Advanced Robotics and Its Social Impacts, Hong Kong.
  2. Heintz-Walters, B., Young, J. C., Munoz, A., Han, Y.-L. (2024), ”Exploring a Novel 3D Printed Soft Pneumatic Extensor Inspired by Spider Legs,” 2024 Design of Medical Devices Conference, Minneapolis, MN.
  3. Baysa, M., Lund, S., Han, Y.-L., (2024). ”Exploring a Novel Rehabilitation Soft Robot Design for Stroke Patients with Clenched Fists,” 10th International Conference on Mechatronics and Robotics Engineering, Milan, Italy.
  4. Cabrera, M., Turoski, N., Baysa, M., Van Liew, J., Han, Y.-L., ”Developing an Untethered Soft Robot for Finger Rehabilitation”, 2023 8th International Conference on Automation, Control and Robotics Engineering, Hong Kong.
  5. Baysa, M., Cabrera, M., Turoski, N., Han, Y.-L., (2023). ”Extensor Soft Robot for Clenched Fist Rehabilitation After Stroke”, 2023 Design of Medical Devices Conference, Minneapolis, MN.
  6. Cabrera, M., Van Liew, J., Turoski, N., Baysa, M., Han, Y.-L., ”Utilizing Computer Modeling to Develop a Wearable Soft Robot for Finger Rehabilitation”, 12th International Conference on Advanced Mechatronic Systems, Toyama, Japan.
  7. Glasgo, N., Soohoo, M, Han, Y.-L. (2022) Investigating the Design of a Soft Robot for Finger Rehabilitation, 2022 ASME IMECE, Columbus, OH.
  8. Taylor, M., Westra, K., & Han, Y.-L. (2020). Developing a Thermally Actuated Soft Robot for Finger Rehabilitation. 2020 ASME IMECE, Virtual.
  9. Roberts, K., & Han, Y.-L. (2019). Investigating Density Functional Theory’s Effectiveness in Studying Metal-Organic Frameworks Structures. 2019 ASME IMECE, Salt Lake City, UT.
  10. Nakao, J., & Han, Y.-L. (2018). Preliminary Heat Transfer Simulation Model of a Novel Dynamic Thermal Ablation Probe. 2018 ASME IMECE, Pittsburgh, PA.
  11. Den Adel, C., Husler, Z.-M., & Han, Y.-L. (2017). Design of a Novel Radio Frequency Ablation Probe for Tumor Ablation Treatment. 2017 Design of Medical Devices Conference, Minneapolis, MN.
  12. Alcantara, A., Dong, C., Cheung, J, & Han, Y.-L. (2017). Investigation of the Op-4& Shih, F. J. (2015). Characterization of a Fast Responding Composite Thermal Bimorph Actuator Based on Carbon Nanotube Sheets. 2015 ASME IMECE, Houston,Texas.
  13. Bever, A. M., Levy-Wendt, B. L., del Rosario, V., Pentz, J. A., Han, Y.-L. and Shih, timal Design of a Linear Aerospike Nozzle for Microsatellite Thrust Vector Control.2017 AIAA Aviation Forum, Denver, Colorado.
  14. Bever, A. M., Brown, P. J., Lane, K. V., Levy-Wendt, B. L., Yasuda, N., Han, Y.-L., F. J. (2014). In-Plane Thermal Conductivities of CFRP Composites Interleaved with Dissimilar Conductive Media. ASME IMECE, Montreal, Canada.

Book Chapters (2 total)

  1. Han, Y.-L. (2022). Unveiling my engineering identity. In Margaret Bailey & Laura Shackelford (Eds.), Women in Mechanical Engineering: Energy and the Environment. Springer Publishing.
  2. Han, Y.-L. (2012). Aerogel Materials for Aerospace. In S. Zhang & D. Zhao (Eds.), Aerospace Materials Handbook (pp. 699-743). Boca Raton, FL: CRC-Press.