Dr. Cheng-fu Chen is a Professor of Mechanical Engineering at the University of Alaska Fairbanks. He earned his Ph.D. from the University of Wisconsin–Madison and has secured approximately $1.9M in extramural funding, primarily supporting NASA space missions and advanced materials research. His current work focuses on predictability of PDMS bonding techniques and the application of group theory to mechanical design and metamaterial characterization. His broader expertise lies in transforming fundamental mechanical principles. He has developed passive seismic sensing mechanisms with sub-Hertz mechanical filters that enable Venusquake detection in intense atmospheric noise. His materials research includes organic nanocomposite coatings that enhance stress-corrosion cracking resistance in aluminum alloys (e.g., PS/TiO₂ coatings for AA2024-T3) and polystyrene coatings on APTES-primed metallic surfaces that clarify corrosion failure mechanisms. His contributions also span interfacial mechanics, including characterization of PDMS–PDMS bonding fracture energy via T-peel testing, as well as microfabrication and microfluidics, such as rapid prototyping of PDMS microfluidic modules using water-developable dry-film photoresists. Additional work includes miniaturization of analytical techniques (portable fluorescence-based DNA detection systems, cavity-coupled fluorometry, and microdialysis), and thermomechanical analysis of electronic packaging and exposure in photolithography.