Dr. Xinni Tian
Dr. Xinni Tian
Dr Xinni Tian is a Senior Lecturer in the Department of Materials Science and Engineering at Monash University, a Senior Research Fellow at the Monash Suzhou Research Institute, and the Undergraduate Course Director at Monash Suzhou. She also serves as the Course Leader of the Advanced Materials and Manufacturing (AMM) program at the Southeast University–Monash University Joint Graduate School.
Dr Tian is an alumna of the Central South University–Monash University 2+2 undergraduate program, where she completed her Bachelor’s degree before receiving a full scholarship to undertake her PhD in Materials Science and Engineering at Monash University. Upon completing her doctorate in 2022, she joined Monash Suzhou as an academic staff member. She played a leading role in establishing the Advanced Materials and Manufacturing program and co-developing the Southeast University–Monash University Joint Research Laboratory, contributing significantly to Monash University’s engineering education and research presence in China.
As the Undergraduate Course Director at Monash Suzhou, Dr Tian leads the academic coordination and curriculum alignment of Monash University’s Ministry of Education (MOE) approved 2+2 undergraduate articulation programs in China, working closely with partner universities to ensure high-quality student learning experiences and seamless academic integration between China and Australia.
Dr Tian’s research focuses on metal additive manufacturing, particularly field-assisted additive manufacturing processes, advanced process design, and the relationship between processing, microstructure and mechanical performance. She has established an internationally recognised research profile in metallic additive manufacturing and has secured several prestigious competitive research grants, including serving as the Chief Investigator of a sub-project under China’s National Key Research and Development Program and as the institutional lead for the Shenzhen International Science and Technology Cooperation Project.
Research Interests
- Field-assisted additive manufacturing
- Process design for property-oriented manufacturing
- Fatigue behaviour and damage tolerance of additively manufactured alloys
- High-performance titanium alloys
- Additive manufacturing of functional alloys
- Integration of computational modelling and data-driven process optimisation
Prospective PhD Students
Dr Tian is actively seeking highly motivated PhD students with interests in additive manufacturing, advanced metallic materials, computational materials engineering, and intelligent manufacturing. Prospective applicants are encouraged to get in touch to discuss potential research opportunities.
Qualifications
- Bachelor of Engineering (Honours) in Materials Engineering, Monash University, 2017
- Doctor of Philosophy, Monash University, 2022
Zhu, J., Liu, Y., Tian, X*., Qian, C., Zhu, Y., Yang, Y., Huang, A., & Zhang, K*. (2026). Effect of carbon addition on the growth mechanism of grain boundary α phase in the laser direct energy deposition Ti-38644 titanium alloy. Materials Science and Engineering: A, 150121.
Zhang, Y., Zheng, Q., Kuang, S., Liu, M., Wang, Z., Yu, A., Gu, F., & Tian, X*. (2026). Unveiling droplet size evolution in aerosol jet printing processing via numerical simulation. Virtual and Physical Prototyping, 21(1), e2665902.
Yu, H., Zhao, Q., Chen, J., Zhang, H., Tian, X., San-Martín, D., & Xu, W. (2026). Oxidation behavior of Ni-based superalloy fabricated by laser powder bed fusion: Enhancement mechanism of post heat treatment. Corrosion Science, 114043.
Ao, C., Xu, B., Wang, X., Chen, Z., Zhu, Y., & Tian, X. (2026). Advanced microchannel heat sink designs for efficient carbon dioxide phase change thermal management. International Journal of Heat and Fluid Flow, 117, 110080.
Daniel, D., Raj, R., Tian, X., Sit, C. K., Zhang, H., Chiu, L. N. S., Hodgson, P., Huang, A., & Zhu, Y. (2025). Rolling-assisted laser directed energy deposition of Hastelloy X: Experimental and numerical studies. Materials Science and Engineering: A, 148854.
Zou, Z., Chen, W., Song, Y., Li, M., Li, S., Huang, W., Sun, Y., Tian, X., & Hao, M. (2025). Experimental investigation of the performance of an industrial-grade Schwartz-D heat exchanger. Applied Thermal Engineering, 270, 126243.
Zhang, H., Hou, J., Liu, X., Sun, D., Zhu, Y., Hao, M., Zhang, K., Huang, A., & Tian, X*. (2025). Martensitic steels via laser powder based additive manufacturing: Recent advances in process parameters, microstructure tailoring, and mechanical performance. Materials & Design, 114574.
Yuan, H., Huang, A., Tian, X., Wang, X., Gao, Q., & Tang, Y. (2025). Design and fabrication of hierarchical honeycomb structure with in-situ foaming. Thin-Walled Structures, 113991.
Fu, J., Yang, X., Zhang, H., Tian, X., Yu, H., Wang, C., & Xu, W. (2025). Graph neural networks enable design of high-performance aluminum alloys for laser powder bed fusion. Virtual and Physical Prototyping, 20(1), e2549366.
Ao, C., Xu, B., Chen, Z., Zhu, Y., & Tian, X. (2025). High-precision prediction model for supercritical CO₂ flow and heat transfer in thermal control systems for Mars exploration missions. Aerospace Science and Technology, 111202.
He, L., Li, J., Zhang, H., Hou, J., Tian, X., & Huang, A. (2024). Effect of heat treatment on the microstructure and mechanical property of GX4CrNi13-4 manufactured by laser cladding. Nuclear Techniques, 47(6).
Chu, F., Li, E., Shen, H., Chen, Z., Li, Y., Liu, H., Min, S., Tian, X., Zhang, K., Zhou, Z., & others. (2023). Influence of powder size on defect generation in laser powder bed fusion of AlSi10Mg alloy. Journal of Manufacturing Processes, 94, 183–195.
Zhang, K., Liu, Y., Tian, X., Yang, Y., Zhu, Y., Bermingham, M., & Huang, A. (2023). Fatigue behaviour of L-DED processed Ti-6Al-4V with microstructures refined by trace boron addition. International Journal of Fatigue, 168, 107454.
Liu, J., Zhang, K., Liu, J., Wang, H., Yang, Y., Yan, L., Tian, X., Zhu, Y., & Huang, A. (2023). Investigation of fatigue behavior of laser powder bed fusion Ti-6Al-4V: Roles of heat treatment and microstructure. International Journal of Fatigue, 176, 107839.
Tian, X., Zhu, Y., Lim, C. V. S., Williams, J., Boyer, R., Wu, X., Zhang, K., & Huang, A. (2021). Isotropic and improved tensile properties of Ti-6Al-4V achieved by in-situ rolling in direct energy deposition. Additive Manufacturing, 46, 102151.
Zhang, K., Tian, X., Bermingham, M., Rao, J., Jia, Q., Zhu, Y., Wu, X., Cao, S., & Huang, A. (2019). Effects of boron addition on microstructures and mechanical properties of Ti-6Al-4V manufactured by direct laser deposition. Materials & Design, 184, 108191.
Teaching Commitments
- MTE5887 - Additive manufacturing of polymeric and functional materials
- MTE5886 - Additive manufacturing of metallic materials
- ENG5005 - Research Method
- ENG5006 - Research Practice