Jian Chen

Bio

Dr. Jian Chen leads and supports a broad spectrum of fundamental and applied research initiatives, driving technological innovations sponsored by government agencies and industry partners. His key research areas include:

• GPU High-Performance Computing – Advancing computational efficiency for large-scale simulations.
• Numerical Algorithms & Software Development – Developing cutting-edge solutions for welding and additive manufacturing simulations.
• Inline Manufacturing NDE & Sensing – Enhancing adaptive welding process monitoring and control.
• Materials Joining for EV Manufacturing – Developing high-volume materials joining solutions for electric vehicles.
• Advanced Welding Repair Techniques – Innovating methods to extend the lifespan of nuclear reactors.

Professional Experience

• Sep 2013  – present (Senior R&D staff, ORNL, Oak Ridge, TN)
• Feb 2021 - Jan 2023 (Adjunct Associate Professor, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN)
• May 2015 - Dec 2015 (Visiting Scientist, General Motors, Warren, MI)
• Dec 2010 - Sep 2013 (Post-doc, ORNL, Oak Ridge, TN)

Awards

• 2024 Elmer L. Hann Award for Best Paper on Ship Production Delivered at a SNAME Event
• 2023 ORNL’s Innovation Award
• 2022 A. F. Davis Silver Medal Award - Structure Design (American Welding Society)
• 2022 ORNL’s Innovator Award
• 2022 ORNL’s Research Accomplishment Award
• 2021 Heinz Sossenheimer Software Innovation Award (International Institute of Welding)
• 2021 ORNL’s Research Accomplishment Award
• 2020 ORNL’s Innovation Award
• 2015 R&D 100 Market Disruptor Service Special Recognition Award, “Infrared Nondestructive Weld
• 2015 ORNL’s Technology Commercialization Award

Trademarks and Patents

Patents

• Laser Nanostructured Surface Preparation for Joining Materials (US patent 11,493,070 11/08/2022).
• Adaptive time scaling for accelerating explicit finite element analysis (US patent 11,288,424)
• Ultrasonic Rivet Joining of Dissimilar Materials (US Patent 11,253,908)
• Laser Nanostructured Surface Preparation for Joining Dissimilar Materials (US patent 10,082,166, 09/25/2018). 

Software Copyright

• High Performance GPU-Based FEM Code for Simulating Welding and Additive Manufacturing (TXu 2-170-001, Jan 3, 2020)
• IR Spot Weld Inspect (Txu 1-908-681, April 2, 2014) 

Publications