Welcome to Kaixin Chen's Personal Website
My name is Kaixin Chen. I'm currently a Ph.D. student of University of California San Diego (UCSD), majoring in Structural Engineering (SE). Before joining UCSD, I was a master's student of Georgia Institute of Technology (Georgia Tech) and I got my bachelor's degree from the Hong Kong Polytechnic University (PolyU).
I am passionate about structural engineering research, focusing especially on the topic of low-damage seismic resilient structural systems, numerical modeling, and experimental testing of structures. Currently, I'm working in Dr. Georgios Tsampras's research group, and my current research topic focuses on the mechanical and tribological properties of friction devices and the development of future-generation structural connections. Check out our group page here.
Education
Ph.D. (Ongoing), Structural Engineering, University of California San Diego, 2021~present
GPA: 4.0/4.0
M.S., Civil Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology, 2019~2021.
GPA: 4.0/4.0
B.S., Civil Engineering (Structural Stream), The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, 2015~2019.
GPA: 3.97/4.0
Graduated with first-class honor
Research Interests
Earthquake structural engineering
Low-damage seismic resilient systems
Self-centering structures
Friction-based structural connections
Composite friction materials
Honors & Awards
Daniel P. Jenny Fellowship, PCI (2022)
Structural Engineering Distinguished Fellowship, UCSD (2021)
ASCE Best Final Year Project, ASCE HK Section (2019)
Outstanding Student Award, Faculty of Construction and Environment, PolyU (2019 )
Dean’s Honour’s List 2019 (top 5%), Faculty of Construction and Environment, PolyU (2019)
HKSAR Government Scholarship—Reach out Award, HKSAR Government (2018)
The Hong Kong Polytechnic University Scholarship, PolyU (2018)
Letter of Commendation, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, PolyU (2018)
Dean’s Honour’s List 2017 (top 5%), Faculty of Construction and Environment, PolyU (2017)
BOSA Technology (H.K.) Ltd. Exchange Scholarship 2017/18 (Sem.1 Exchange) (2017)
Recent Publications
Wang, B., Zhu, S., Chen, K., Qiu, C. X., & Chen, P. (2024). Damage-free self-centering steel columns incorporating SMA bolts and replaceable steel angles. Engineering Structures, 321, 119000. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.engstruct.2024.119000
Chen, K., Tsampras, G., & Lee, K. (2023). Structural connection with predetermined discrete variable friction forces. Resilient Cities and Structures, 2(1), 1-17. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rcns.2023.02.006
Lee, K., Chen, K., & Tsampras, G. (2022). Seismic Response of Core Wall Building with Friction-Based Force-Limiting Connections. In 3rd European Conference on Earthquake Engineering & Seismology (3ECEES).
Chen, K., Tsampras, G., Lee, K., & Mayorga, C. F. (2022). Reusable Force-limiting Connection with Variable Friction Force for High-Performance Buildings. In 8th Asia Conference on Earthquake Engineering (8ACEE), Taipei, Taiwan.
Wang B, Zhu S, Casciati F, Chen K, Jiang H. Cyclic behavior and deformation mechanism of superelastic SMA U-shaped dampers under in-plane and out-of-plane loadings. Smart Materials and Structures, 2021, 30(5), 055009. https://doi.org/10.1088/1361-665X/abedf4
Wang B, Zhu S, Chen K, Huang J. Development of superelastic SMA angles as seismic-resistant self-centering devices, Engineering Structures, 2020, 218: 110836 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.engstruct.2020.110836