Dr. Bosco Yu | MSE1T0, MASc 1T2
Assistant Professor (CLA) at McMaster University
Dr. Bosco Yu has built research expertise in the areas of mechanics of composites, heterogeneous alloys and rapid-prototyped cellular materials. Dr. Yu obtained his BASc (2010) and MASc (2012) from the University of Toronto from the Department of Materials Science and Engineering (MSE 1T0). His Master’s thesis focused on the design of cellular lattice materials for automotive impact attenuator applications. Dr. Yu subsequently obtained his PhD (2017) from the University of Cambridge at the Cambridge Centre of Micromechanics. His PhD thesis focused on the impact mechanics of carbon fibre reinforced plastics for fuselage design in aerospace applications.
Dr. Yu has been a contract-appointed Assistant Professor at McMaster University since 2020. He leads a research team that focuses on using rapid prototyping and additive manufacturing to study the ‘structure-properties relationships’ of lightweight hybrid materials. These types of materials are lightweight and recyclable, and can offer tailorable material properties such as enhanced strength and toughness. This makes them attractive and sustainable solutions in a variety of engineering applications (e.g. in the automotive, aerospace, sports, and bio-medical sectors).
Dr. Yu is currently the lead materials science instructor for the Engineering 1 program at McMaster University. He is also one of the lead project developers for the first-year multidisciplinary project-based learning course (ENG 1P13). Dr. Yu’s pedagogical approach focuses on experiential learning, collaborative learning, gamified learning, student-centred education, and design-led materials science education. He hopes to contribute to the transformation of the educational system in materials engineering — by increasing student engagement in lectures and motivating students to become lifelong learners (i.e. prepare students to deal with uncertainty in the real world), as well as focusing on building engineering competencies (i.e. preparing students to solve real-world multidisciplinary problems). As a strong advocate of research-inspired dynamic learning, Dr. Yu also mentors and supervises multiple students for both technical and pedagogical research.