Jia Mi

Dr. Jia Mi leads the Advanced and Intelligent Energy Laboratory (AI-Energy Lab), focusing on innovative and sustainable energy solutions. His research addresses global energy challenges by improving efficiency, effectiveness and equitability of sustainable energy through advanced technologies.
A key focus of his research is offshore renewable energy (offshore wind, ocean waves, etc.), where he integrates system-level control co-design, multi-physics modeling, and experimental testing to improve the overall performance. He is also powering the blue economy by leveraging offshore renewable energy for applications such as desalination, aquaculture, autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV) charging, and marine carbon dioxide removal (mCDR).
With a multidisciplinary background and diverse research portfolio, Dr. Mi’s expertise spans vibration control, energy harvesting, robotics, and vehicle dynamics and autonomy, bridging fundamental science and practical applications to drive sustainable energy innovation.

Dr. Jia Mi joined Stevens Institute of Technology as a tenure-track Assistant Professor 09/2024. With a multidisciplinary background and a proven track record in research and innovation, Dr. Mi earned his Ph.D. in Naval Architecture and Marine Engineering from the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor. He also holds an M.S. in Mechanical Engineering from Virginia Tech, where he specialized in biomechanical energy harvesting, and a B.S. with distinction in Automotive Engineering from Wuhan University of Technology. His did internship at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL).

1. International Advisory Committee, 2024 International Ocean Energy Conference (ICOE), Melbourne, Australian (09/2024)
2. Member of the Energy Harvesting Technical Committee (EHTC), American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME). (since 09/2024)
3. Organizing committee, as a panel speaker, and as chair of young professional activities at the NSF Workshop—Developing Future Workforce for Marine Renewable Energy Technologies and the Blue Economy, hosted by the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor (08/2024)
4. Steering Committee, Portal and Repository for Information on Marine Renewable Energy (PRIMRE). (since 01/2024)
5. Board of Director, University Marine Energy Research Community (UMERC). (since 10/2021)
6. Chair, International Network on Offshore Renewable Energy (INORE). (01/2023-09/2024)

1. Rackham Predoctoral Fellowship, Rackham Graduate School at the University of Michigan, 05/2023.
2. ASME-DCSD Rising Stars Award, Dynamic Systems and Control Division of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME), 10/2022.
3. Best Paper Presentation Award, 2022 University Marine Energy Research Community (UMERC) and the Marine Energy Technology Symposium (METS) joint marine energy conference, Portland, 09/2022.
4. SES Emerging Professionals Award (sole awardee), The Society of Standard Professionals, 08/2022.
5. Paul E. Torgersen Graduate Student Research Excellence Award (top one winner), Virginia Tech, 05/2022.
6. Outstanding Undergraduate Research Mentor, nominee, Virginia Tech Office of Undergraduate Research, 03/2022.
7. ASME/VT Memorial Scholarship (sole awardee), The America Society of Mechanical Engineering, 06/2021.
8. R&D 100 Award Finalist, by R&D Magazine for the 100 most significant technology innovations of the year in the word, 10/2020. (referred as “The Oscars of Innovation”)
9. Applied Energy Highly Cited Review Paper Award 2020, 08/2020.
10. Innovate for Impact: Siemens Design Challenge Award, Siemens and ASME, 07/2020.
11. Third Place Award and Best Plan Award in U.S. Department of Energy Marine Energy Collegiate Competition: Powering the Blue Economy, 06/2020.
12. CONCEPT & DESIGN Winner in the Wave to Water Prize Competition (served as captain) by U.S. DOE, 06/ 2020.
13. 16th Annual EPA P3 Award, A National Student Design Competition Focusing on People, Prosperity and the Planet, Environmental Protection Agency, United States, 08/2019.
14. First Place in the F.Pao Poster Competition Award, CEHMS Industry Advisory Board Meeting, Arlington, Virginia, 05/2019.
15. Top 10 Prominent students of the year, Wuhan university of Technology, 05/2018.

Dr. Jia Mi has authored/co-authored over 40 journal articles and conference proceedings. In addition, he has applied for 9 patents in his research field and 7 of them have been granted.

Selected Publication List:
1. Mi, J., Huang, J., Yang, L., Ahmed, A., Li, X., & Zuo, L. (2025). Multi-scale Concurrent Design of a 100kW Wave Energy Converter. Renewable Energy, 121835.
2. Ayyad, M., Yang, L., Ahmed, A., Shalaby, A., Huang, J., Mi, J., ... & Hajj, M. R. (2025). System identification of oscillating surge wave energy converter using physics-informed neural network. Applied Energy, 378, 124703.
3. Mi, J., Huang, J., Li, X., Ahmed, A., Yang, L., Chung, U., ... & Zuo, L. (2024). Oscillating surge wave energy converter using a novel above-water power takeoff with belt-arc speed amplification. Ocean Engineering, 310, 118503.
4. Mi, J., Wu, X., Capper, J., Li, X., Shalaby, A., Wang, R., ... & Zuo, L. (2023). Experimental investigation of a reverse osmosis desalination system directly powered by wave energy. Applied Energy, 343, 121194.
5. Mi, J., Li, Q., Liu, M., Li, X., & Zuo, L. (2020). Design, modelling, and testing of a vibration energy harvester using a novel half-wave mechanical rectification. Applied Energy, 279, 115726.