Professor Huiling Duan is currently the Dean of College of Engineering, Peking University. She received her Ph.D. degree from Peking University in 2005 and worked at Cardiff University in 2005 and 2006 as the holder of Post-doctoral Fellowship of The Royal Society, London. Then she worked as an Alexander von Humboldt research fellow at Forschungszentrum Karlsruhe in Germany from 2006 to 2007. She joined Peking University in 2007, and was awarded as Chang Jiang Chair Professor by Chinese Ministry of Education in 2014.

Professor Duan’s research areas include micromechanics, nanomechanics, and fluids/solids interaction. She has published more than 130 publications in peer-reviewed journals. Selected honors include Ten Best Advisers for graduate students of Peking University, National Outstanding Young Scholar of China (2015), National Outstanding Young Female Scientist of China (2014), Distinguished Young Scholars Award of National Natural Science Foundation of China (NSFC, 2012), the Sia Nemat-Nasser early career medal in American Society of Mechanical Engineering (ASME, 2009),etc. 

Professor Duan served as Chair of Department of Mechanics and Engineering Science, College of Engineering, Peking University (2013-2018). Currently, she serves as the Associate Editor of ASME (American Society of Mechanical Engineer) Journal of Engineering Materials and Technology, members of editorial boards of eight international journals including International Journal of Plasticity, Journal of Mechanics of Materials and Structures, etc. She also severs on several committees both in China and USA including ASME Mechanical Department Heads/Chairs Executive Committee (MEDHEC, 2017-2019 Members at Large) and Vice Secretary-General of the Chinese Society of Theoretical and Applied Mechanics (CSTAM).