About me
Hey, there! My name is Li Ai. I am a Research Assistant Professor at the University of South Carolina. I am currently working at the Department of Mechanical Engineering, Department of Civil&Environmental Engineering, and the McNAIR Aerospace Center. I received my PhD from the University of South Carolina in 2021 under the supervision of Dr. Paul Ziehl. I received my Master from Stevens Institute of Technology in 2016 under the supervision of Dr. Marcus Rutner and Dr. Sohphia Hassiotis.
Research interests
My research interests include:
- Nondestructive testing (NDT)
- Structural health monitoring (SHM)
- Acoustic emission (AE)
- structure strengthening and rehabilitation
- Bridge load rating
- AI for science/engineering
- Cyber-physical systems
- Digital twins.
My recent works include:
- Digital twin for concrete bridges
- Cost-effective strengthening methods of bridge slab/girder
- AE source localization using deep learning
- Transfer learning framework combining finite element simulation and domain adaptation
- Real-time AE monitoring system for alkali-silicate reaction (ASR) damage in concrete
- AE monitoring method applied to stress corrosion cracking in nuclear spent fuel storage systems
- Low-velocity impact monitoring framework for urban air mobility
Recent News
- Jan, 2025. I was appointed as an editorial board member for the Journal of Nondestructive Evaluation
- Oct, 2024. I was appointed as an editorial board member for the ASTM Journal of Testing and Evaluation
- Oct, 2024. I received the IOP Publishing Top Cited Paper Award North America.
- Dec, 2023. I was appointed as an early career editorial board member for the Structural Durability & Health Monitoring
- Nov, 2023. I was appointed as an editorial board member for the Civil Engineering Journal
- Apr, 2023. I was appointed as an associate editor for the ASCE Journal of Structural Design and Construction Practice
- May, 2022. I won the paper competition at AEWG63 and received the Adrian Pollock Student Award.