Academic Credentials
  • Ph.D., Material Science and Engineering, Pennsylvania State University, 2025
  • B.S., Applied Physics, Binghamton University (SUNY), 2020
Professional Honors
  • NASA Pennsylvania Space Grant Consortium Graduate Fellowship, 2023 & 2024
  • Robert E. Newnham Award for Research Excellence, Pennsylvania State University, 2023
  • Sigma Pi Sigma, Binghamton University, 2020

Dr. Huang is a materials engineer with expertise in metallurgy, materials characterization, mechanical testing, failure analysis, and additive manufacturing (AM). She uses a range of characterization techniques to evaluate materials, including optical microscopy, profilometry, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS), electron backscatter diffraction (EBSD), X-ray diffraction (XRD), X-ray computed tomography (XCT), microhardness measurements, and mechanical (tension and compression) testing. She is also proficient in finite element modeling to simulate mechanical loading and quantitative image analysis.

Prior to joining Exponent, Dr. Huang completed her Ph.D. at the Pennsylvania State University. Her work focused on improving the properties of additively manufactured components for structural applications via processing optimization and post-processing thermal treatments, where she identified root causes for mechanical failure through fractography and microstructural analyses. During this time, she gained extensive experience in working with stainless steel, aluminum, and titanium alloys fabricated using binder jetting or laser powder bed fusion AM. As part of her interdisciplinary and collaborative research, she also characterized the linkages between non-destructive evaluation signals (ultrasound and XCT) with microstructural features and mechanical properties to identify regions of potential failure.