Zhaofeng Peng (彭兆丰)
Polymer Science & Engineering, UMass Amherst
Hello! My name is Zhaofeng Peng, currently a first-year Ph.D. student in Polymer Science and Engineering at UMass Amherst, working with Professor Laurel Kroo. Before this, I earned my Bachelor’s degree in Theoretical and Applied Mechanics from Peking University, Beijing.
Currently, I am working on the fluid mechanics of soft matter systems, such as flow-directed self-assemblies and instabilities of polymeric fluids. During my undergrad, I conduncted my research with Professor Guang Chen on the osmotic pressure of polyelectrolyte solutions and the swelling behavior of red blood cells.
In my free time, I love listening to music and occasionally creating my own (very amateur though). If you’re interested, please check out my gallery and give it a listen!
Education
09/25-present: University of Massachusetts Amherst (UMass Amherst) Polymer Science and Engineering
09/21-07/25: Peking University (PKU) Bachelor of Science with Honors Theoretical and Applied Mechanics
Awards
Jun. 2025: Excellent Graduate, Peking University
Dec. 2024: Merit Student, Peking University
Dec. 2024: Huatai Science and Technology Scholarship, Peking University
Dec. 2023: Award for Academic Excellence, Peking University
Dec. 2023: Peking University Scholarship (Third Prize)
Aug. 2023: China Mechanics Competition in Honor of Zhou Peiyuan (Honorable Mention), The Chinese Society of Theoretical and Applied Mechanics, Chou Pei-yuan Foundation
Oct. 2020: Chinese Chemistry Olympiad in Provinces (First Prize), Chinese Chemical Society
News
March 26, 2026
I attend the UMass CNS Graduate Student Research Symposium and deliver a lightning talk on PocketCaBER and PocketDoS. Huge thank you to Prof. Kroo and my amazing labmates (especially Kumar for helping out with overnight prints). Please keep an eye out for our paper to be published very soon this summer!
November 5, 2025
I am glad to share that I will be joining Professor Laurel Kroo’s lab at UMass PSE. I am excited about both the theory and the experiments to be explored in this new chapter.
September 2, 2025
New semester, new adventure!
July 1, 2025
Happy Graduation!
March 25, 2025
I am happy to share that I will be pursuing my Ph.D. in Polymer Science and Engineering at the University of Massachusetts Amherst. I can’t wait to embark on this exciting adventure!