Dr. Yasunori Sakai is an Assistant Professor at Xi'an Jiaotong-Liverpool University (XJTLU). He possesses an extensive academic and professional career in Japan, where he held a tenured associate professor position at Shibaura Institute of Technology, as well as academic roles at the University of British Columbia (Canada), Tokyo Institute of Technology, and Tokyo Denki University.

His unique academic journey began immediately after junior high school at Tokyo Metropolitan College of Industrial Technology (KOSEN), where he completed a five-year practical mechanical engineering program and earned his associate degree in Mechanical Engineering. He subsequently earned his Bachelor's degree in Mechanical System Engineering and his Master's degree in Bio-Application and Systems Engineering from Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology. In 2015, he received his Ph.D. in Mechanical and Control Systems Engineering from Tokyo Institute of Technology, completing the program in just 2.5 years due to his research achievements. He worked as a Japan Society for the Promotion of Science (JSPS) Postdoctoral Fellow (DC2/PD) at the same university.

Dr. Sakai is a licensed Professional Engineer (P.E., Japan) in Mechanical Engineering, the highest national certification for practicing engineers in the country, reflecting his practical expertise.

His current research focuses on:

• Industrial AI (AI agents and quality inspection).

• Integrated design and manufacturing of sensors and actuators using composite origami metamaterials.

• Nonlinear vibration energy harvesting and monitoring.

• Precision motion system (Dynamics, Control and Tribology).

• Process automation (e.g., robotic assembly, vision-guided systems).

His expertise is underpinned by a diverse research background in MEMS, laser microjoining, plastic working, precision positioning systems, seismic response analysis of structures, and moldless processing. He has received several awards, including the JSME Young Engineers Award (Research) in 2019 and the Tokyo Tech Suematsu Award in 2017.

(In Chinese)

酒井康徳（Yasunori Sakai）博士现任西交利物浦大学（XJTLU）助理教授。他拥有深厚的日本学术与职业背景，曾任芝浦工业大学终身副教授（tenured associate professor），并先后在加拿大英属哥伦比亚大学（UBC）、东京工业大学及东京电机大学担任学术职务。

酒井博士的学术生涯植根于扎实的工程实践。他自初中毕业后即进入东京都立产业技术高等专门学校（KOSEN），完成为期五年的实用机械工程课程，并获得机械工程副学士学位。随后，他于东京农工大学先后获得机械系统工程学士及生物应用与系统工程硕士学位。2015年，凭借研究成果，他仅用两年半便提前完成了东京工业大学机械与控制系统工程博士课程。博士毕业后，他曾在日本学术振兴会（JSPS）特别研究员（DC2/PD）的资助下于东京工业大学从事研究工作。

此外，酒井博士还持有日本技术士（Professional Engineer, Japan，机械部门）国家资格，这是日本工程技术领域的最高级别国家认证，体现其实践专业能力。

他目前的主要研究方向包括：

• 工业人工智能（AI Agent 及质量检测）。

• 基于复合材料折纸超材料的传感器与执行器集成设计与制造。

• 非线性振动能量采集与监测。

• 精密运动系统（动力学、控制与摩擦学）。

• 流程自动化（例如机器人装配、视觉引导系统）。

他的专业深度得益于在 MEMS（微机电系统）、激光微连接、塑性加工、精密定位装置、结构地震响应分析以及无模具加工等领域的广泛研究积累。酒井博士曾荣获日本机械学会奖（研究奖励奖，2019年）及东京工业大学末松奖（2017年）。

Opportunities 

For Students:
Our group is currently seeking motivated Research Assistants (RAs). Whether you are an undergraduate or graduate student, from any school or even outside XJTLU, I would love to have an informal chat with you. If you are curious about our research in AI, metamaterials, advanced manufacturing, or structural dynamics, please feel free to reach out via email or WeChat.

Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF); Until 5th May, 2026 

I am recruiting students (any department or year) to participate in the following three SURF projects. If you are interested, please apply directly via e-bridge with your CV attached, or feel free to contact me informally beforehand.

• Origami‑Inspired Mechanical Metamaterials with Impact Sensing and Self‑Recovery for Smart Packaging
• AI‑Powered Visual Inspection System Using Synthetic Data Generation and Lightweight Deep Learning
• Nonlinear Vibration Energy Harvesting Using Piezoelectric Metamaterials with Origami-Inspired Structures (Develop structures that efficiently convert vibrations into electricity through experiments and simulations)

MFE416TC Research Project 1

I welcome informal chats and discussions about research projects at any time. In addition to the four proposed themes listed in the module, I am happy to develop new research projects tailored to your interests and my research expertise, with academic or industrial impact.

For Industry and Academic Collaboration:
I am always open to new collaborations, including joint research, contracted R&D, and academic and educational collaboration. To protect intellectual property, we typically work under NDAs once a partnership is established. Whether you represent a startup, a multinational corporation, or an academic institution, please feel free to email me to explore how we can innovate together.

I also actively welcome JSPS Postdoctoral Overseas Research Fellowships.

机会与合作

致同学们:
我们课题组目前正在招募有热情、有动力的研究助理（RA）。无论你是本科生还是研究生，无论来自哪所学校，只要你对人工智能、超材料、先进制造或结构动力学感兴趣，我都非常欢迎你来找我进行非正式交流。请随时通过邮件或微信联系。

暑期本科生研究奖学金（SURF）; 截止到2026年5月5日
我正在招募学生（不限专业、年级）参与以下三个 SURF 项目。如有兴趣，请直接通过 e-bridge 附上您的简历申请，或事先与我进行非正式沟通。

• 受折纸启发的机械超材料：用于智能包装的冲击感知与自恢复
• 基于合成数据生成和轻量化深度学习的人工智能视觉检测系统
• 基于折纸结构的压电超材料非线性振动能量采集（通过实验与仿真开发将振动高效转化为电能的结构）

MFE416TC 研究项目 1
欢迎随时就研究项目进行非正式交流与讨论。除课程所列四个拟定课题外，亦可根据学生的个人兴趣及我的研究方向，共同商定具有学术或产业影响力的新研究项目。

致企业及学术界伙伴:
我们非常欢迎各种形式的合作，包括共同研究及受托开发等。为保障双方知识产权，相关合作通常在签署保密协议（NDA）的前提下开展。无论是初创企业、跨国公司还是学术机构，欢迎随时通过邮件交流，共同探索创新机遇。

我也积极接收日本学术振兴会（JSPS）海外特别研究员。

Functional Material Application

Tribology

Vibration Control

Manufacturing Process Analysis

System Engineering

Assistant Professor, Xian Jiaotong-Liverpool University, 2024 - Present

Researcher, The University of British Columbia, 2023 - 2024

Associate Professor, Shibaura Institute of Technology, 2022 - 2023

Assistant Professor, Shibaura Institute of Technology, 2019 – 2022

Assistant Professor, Tokyo Denki University, 2017 – 2019

Postdoctoral Researcher, Tokyo Institute of Technology, 2017 – 2019

Research Fellows, Tokyo Institute of Technology, 2015 – 2017

Research Fellow (DC2 and PD), Japan Society for Promotion of Science, 2015 – 2017

Lecturer, Tokyo Metropolitan College of Industrial Technology, 2013 – 2016

MFE301TC Final Year Project, 2025 - present

RBE104TC C/C++ Programming Language, 2025 - present

MFE209TC Sensors, Instrumentation and Industrial Applications, 2025 - present

MFE406TC Systems Thinking and Modelling, 2024 - present

Master Course Research Project, 2021 – 2023

Undergraduate Research Project, 2019 – 2023

Undergraduate Research Project, 2017 – 2018

Precision Systems /Exercise 1, 2022 – 2023

Precision Systems /Exercise 2, 2022 – 2023

Precision Systems /Exercise 3, 2022 – 2023

Precision Systems /Exercise 4, 2022 – 2023

Precision Manufacturing Systems, 2022 – 2023

Exercises of System Engineering B, 2022 – 2023

Machine Materials, 2019 – 2023

Manufacturing Engineering, 2019 – 2023

Information Processing 2, 2019

Exercises of Information Processing 2, 2019

Machinery System Seminar, 2019 – 2023

Introduction to Mechanical Systems, 2019 – 2021

Mechanical Engineering Laboratory 1, 2019

Mechanical Engineering Laboratory 2, 2019 – 2023

Experiments in Mechanical System Dynamics, 2019 – 2023

Workshop of System-thinking, 2019 – 2023

Fundamentals of Design and Drawing, 2018

Introduction to Mechanical Engineering I, 2018

Seminar for Freshman, 2017 – 2018

Strength of Materials 2, 2017 – 2018

Engineering Mechanics 1, 2017 – 2018

Engineering Mechanics 2, 2017 – 2018

Laboratory on Mechanical Engineering 1, 2017 – 2018

Laboratory on Mechanical Engineering 2, 2017 – 2018

Machine Design and Drawing 3, 2017 – 2018

Machine Design and Drawing 4, 2017 – 2018

Computer Aided Engineering, 2013 – 2016

3D-CAD Mechanical Design 1, 2013 – 2016

3D-CAD Mechanical Design 2, 2013 – 2016

Laboratory on Mechanical Systems Engineering 1, 2013

Best Oral Presentation Award (Supervised Student), The 2024 3rd International Conference on Computer, Internet of Things and Smart City (CIoTSC) , Nov. 2025

Graduate Student Initiative (GSI) award, The University of British Columbia, Oct. 2023

Innovative Poster Gold Award, The 16 South East Asian Technical University Consortium (Supervised Student Received), Feb. 2022

Innovative Poster Silver Award, The 16th South East Asian Technical University Consortium (Supervised Student Received), Feb. 2022

Featured Research Paper, Advances in Engineer (Canadian research company), OA, Canada,  Oct. 2020

Best Paper Award of Manufacturing System Division, Japan Society for Mechanical Engineers, Mar. 2020

Young Engineers Award, The Japan Society of Mechanical Engineers, Apr. 2019

Best contribution award for research and corroboration, Tokyo Denki University, Feb. 2019

Suematsu Award (Young Researcher Award), Tokyo Institute of Technology, Dec. 2017

Planting Seeds Research Award, Tokyo Institute of Technology, Dec. 2017

Best Research Paper Award, MAZAK Foundation, May. 2015

Award for Student of Department of Mechanical Systems Engineering, Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology, Mar. 2011

Scholarship of Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology Foundation, Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology, Apr. 2010

Best Research Award, Tokyo Metropolitan College of Industrial Technology, Mar. 2009