Honors, Awards, and Recognitions

2023 Behind the Find: Fierce the Innovators – Flame Retardant High Temperature Shape Memory Polymers. LSU Innovation and Technology Commercialization, November 1, 2023.

2023 Based on Stanford Scholar Ranking, I was ranked as 347 out of 315,721 scholars in the area of “Materials” over my career. Overall, I was ranked as 38,167 out of the 204,643 top 2% ranked researchers world-wide over my entire career. For the year 2022, my overall ranking was 19,067 out of the 210,198 top 2% ranked researchers world-wide. In the area of “Materials”, I was ranked 336 out of the 281,605 scholars.

2022 LSU Distinguished Research Master Award, Louisiana State University;

2022 Based on Stanford Scholar Ranking, I was ranked as 312 out of 281,605 scholars in the area of “Materials” over my career. Overall, I was ranked as 42,305 out of the 195,605 top 2% ranked researchers world-wide over my entire career. For the year 2021, my overall ranking was 25,098 out of the 200,409 top 2% ranked researchers world-wide. In the area of “Materials”, I was ranked 317 out of the 315,721 scholars.

2022 Our paper “R. Abedin, X. Feng, J. Pojman, Jr., S. Ibekwe, P. Mensah, I. Warner, and G. Li. A thermoset shape memory polymer based syntactic foam with flame retardancy and 3D printability. ACS Applied Polymer Materials, Vol. 4, No. 2, pp. 1183–1195, (January, 2022).” was one of the most popular articles from ACS Applied Polymer Materials (February 2022).

2021 Based on Stanford Scholar Ranking, I was ranked as 403 out of 285,331 scholars in the area of “Materials” over my career. Overall, I was ranked as 43,454 out of the 186,178 top 2% ranked researchers world-wide over my entire career. For the year 2020, my overall ranking was 19,132 out of the 190,064 top 2% ranked researchers world-wide. In the area of “Materials”, I was ranked 237 out of the 285,331 scholars.

2021 Our paper “R. Pérez, C. Ayala, M. Opiri, A. Ezzir, G. Li, I. Warner. Recycling Thermoset Epoxy Resin using Alkyl-Methyl-Imidazolium Ionic Liquids as Green Solvents. ACS Applied Polymer Materials, Vol. 3, No. 11, pp. 5588–5595, (October 11, 2021).” was highlighted by ACS Publications in November, 2021.

2020 Based on Stanford Scholar Ranking, I was ranked as 464 out of 177,931 scholars in the area of “Materials” over my career. Overall, I was ranked as 50,365 out of the 159,685 scholars among the top 2% scholars world-wide over my entire career. For the year 2019, my overall ranking was 16,539 out of the 161,442 scholars among the top 2% scholars world-wide. In the area of “Materials”, I was ranked 298 out of the 177,931 scholars.

2020 My company “Louisiana Multifunctional Materials Group, LLC” received the 2019 “Company of the Year” award by Louisiana Business & Technology Center.

2020 Our research on “Constitutive Modeling of Polymers with Reversible Actuation” was highlighted by Advances in Engineering.

2020 Our paper “A. Li, A. Challapalli, and G. Li. 4D Printing of Recyclable Lightweight Architectures Using High Recovery Stress Shape Memory Polymer. Scientific Reports, Vol. 9, Article number 7621, (May, 2019) DOI: 10.1038/s41598-019-44110-9.” was ranked 16 most downloaded paper in the year 2019 in the area of Materials Science in Nature’s journal Scientific Reports.

2019 My research on “Shape Memory Polymers” was highlighted by LSU Office of Innovation & Technology Commercialization for its showcase in September 2019.

2019 Our “Smart Sealant” received the first place with $1,000 cash award at the third Pitch BR event on September 5, 2019, hosted by Louisiana Technology Park.

2019 H.M. “Hub” Cotton Award for Faculty Excellence, LSU.

2019 Excellence in Innovation, Office of Innovation & Technology Commercialization, LSU.

2018 Elected Member of the European Union Academy of Sciences (EUAS).

2018 My research on two-way shape memory polymer based sealant has been widely reported internally (CoE Website, LSU Research Website, The Reveille), locally (WAFB Channel 7, WBRZ Channel 5, The Advocate, Greater Baton Rouge Business Report), state-wide (Louisiana Radio Network, BR 2 NOLA), nation-wide (AP Globe Newswire Press Release, Roads and Bridges, Paint Square, Construction Dive, Landscape Online, Society of Plastic Engineers), and world-wide (Canadian Insider).

2018 Our Office – Office of Strategic Initiatives, Louisiana State University, as an organization, received “the Presidential Award for Excellence in Science, Mathematics and Engineering Mentoring, or PAESMEM.” PAESMEM recognizes outstanding efforts of mentors in encouraging the next generation of innovators and developing a science and engineering workforce that reflects the diverse talent of America.

2018 My research was highlighted in an article “Scientists are on the trail of new solutions to oil seepage and its aftermath,” published in Greater Baton Rouge Business Report, May 15, 2018.

2017 My research on self-healing was highlighted by Air Force Research Laboratory (Materials and Manufacturing Directorate) – Celebrating a Century of Scientific Excellence (1917-2017).

2017 My research on smart sealant was highlighted by an article in a newspaper The Advocate “LSU researchers hope new polymer will fill gap in concrete maintenance.”

2017 Based on a study by Prof. Gregory S. Patience, Canada Research Chair at Polytechnique Montreal, “Between 2010 to 2014, you published 5 papers ranked in the top 500 of one of the 256 scientific categories indexed in Web of Science. Three of these are entitled: “Shape memory polymer based self-healing syntactic foam: 3-D confined thermomechanical characterization”, “Thermomechanical behavior of thermoset shape memory polymer

programmed by cold-compression: Testing and constitutive modeling”, and “Thermomechanical characterization of a shape memory polymer based self-repairing syntactic foam”. They were ranked in the category of “Materials Science Composites”, “Materials Science Multidisciplinary”, and “Polymer Science”. Their rankings were 42, 200, and 320 out of 15411, 331865, and 85683 articles, respectively.”

2016 Major Morris S. & DeEtte A. Anderson Memorial Alumni Professor in Mechanical Engineering

2016 Our paper “Q. Yang, J. Fan, and G. Li. Artificial muscles made of chiral two-way shape memory polymer fibers. Applied Physics Letters, Vol. 109, No. 18, paper number 183701, (October, 2016).” was reported in several news release, such as The Eureka Alert, Phys Org, MRSBulletin, Vol. 42, No. 1, pp. 10, January, 2017, and Cambridge.

2015 Our paper “P. Zhang and G. Li. Healing-on-demand Composites Based on Polymer Artificial Muscle. Polymer, Vol. 64, pp. 29-38, (May, 2015).” was reported by Materials Today on August 25, 2015, entitled “Composites Heal Using Polymer ‘Muscle’”.

2013 Louisiana State University Distinguished Faculty Award.

2013 Southern University System Most Outstanding Researcher Award.

2013 Southern University and A&M College Most Outstanding Researcher Award.

2013 Millionaire Club Inductee (research grant) at Southern University and A&M College.

2012 John W. Rhea, Jr. Professorship in Engineering

2012 LSU Today Flagship Faculty.

2012 Our paper “Healable thermoset polymer composite embedded with stimuli-responsive fibres” published in Journal of the Royal Society Interface was reported in Royal Society Chemistry World.

2010 Cluster Quality Awards, Business & Industry Cluster, Southern University.

2010 LSU Alumni Association Faculty Excellence Award, Louisiana State University.

2010 2009 - 2010 Researcher of the Year Award, College of Engineering, Southern University.

2009 National Role Model Faculty Researcher Award, Minority Access, Inc.

2009 2008 Society of Plastic Engineers (SPE) Composites Division Educator of the Year Award.

2009 Contractors Educational Trust Fund Endowed Professorship, Southern University.

2008 2007-2008 Southern University Outstanding Research Investigator Award, Southern University.

2007 Ten Year’s Service Award, Louisiana State University.

2007 Excellence in Research Mentoring Award, Summer Research Experience for Undergraduate Program, Southern University.

2007 2006-2007 Researcher of the Year Award, College of Engineering, Southern University.

2006 2004-2005 Young Research Investigator Award, Southern University.

2003 Named LSU Campus Outstanding Mentor by LS-LAMP, Louisiana State University.

2002 ASME Frank Walk Service Award (American Society of Mechanical Engineers/Petroleum Division).

2001 ASME Eckart Service Award (American Society of Mechanical Engineers/Petroleum Division).

2001 ASME Ten Paper Cup Award (American Society of Mechanical Engineers/ Petroleum Division).

2001 Science & Technology Advancement Award in Hebei Province, China. Project: Experimental Studies of Cement-Based Semi-Rigid Pavement Materials.

1999 My paper “An Experimental Study of Cycling Moisture Effect on the Low Velocity Impact Response of Laminated Composites” was reported in “The World Journal” in May 30, 1999, Houston, Texas, USA.

1996 Best Paper Award in “1996 Graduate Student Paper Competition”, Transportation College, Southeast University, Nanjing, China. Topic: Fractals in Graded Aggregates.

1993 Science & Technology Advancement Award in the Department of Transportation, Hebei Province, China. Project: Impact of Overload Trucks on Pavement Structures.

1992 Science & Technology Advancement Award in the Department of Transportation, Hebei Province, China. Project: Rheological Properties of Polymer Modified Asphalt.

1989 Best Paper Award by the Tianjin Society of Civil Engineers, China. Title: La’Place Transform and Its Application to Concrete Pavement Design.

1987 Best Paper Award by the Tianjin Society of Civil Engineers, China. Title: Asphalt Performance at Low Temperature and Ways to Develop Modified Asphalt.