Dr. Rui YANG’s research interests include: 1) Aging behavior, mechanism and stability evaluation of polymer materials and lifetime prediction; 2) phase change material (PCM) and composites for thermal energy storage and 3) Structure-property relationship of polymer materials. She has published two textbooks - Analytical Methods for Polymer Characterization (CRC Press) and Advanced Instrumental Analysis of Polymers (Tsinghua University Press). She led national and industrial research projects and has published more than 100 peer-reviewed papers. She was awarded the Second Prize of Natural Science Award of Ministry of Education of China in 2005, and the Second Prize of Science and Technology Progress Awards of Beijing in 1999.

Council Member of the Chinese Mechanical Engineering Society (CMES); Deputy Director of its Materials Branch.

Deputy Director of the Polymer Material Aging and Service Life Branch; Deputy Secretary-General of the Polymer Materials and Engineering Branch, Chinese Materials Research Society (C-MRS).

Expert Committee Member of the Engineering Thermochemistry Commission, Chemical Industry and Engineering Society of China (CIESC).

Chairman of the Organization Committee for the National Symposium on Polymer Materials Science and Engineering.

Editor-in-Chief of Polymer Degradation and Stability

Associated editor of Materials for Mechanical Engineering

Editorial member of Polymer, Polymer Testing, Journal of Vinyl and Additive Technology, Polymers and Materials, Chinese Science Bulletin & Science Bulletin, Journal of Functional Polymers, China Plastics Industry, Synthetic Materials Aging and Application

1989-1994 B.Sc, Department of Chemical Engineering, Tsinghua University

1994-1996 M.S, Department of Chemical Engineering, Tsinghua University

2002-2005 Ph.D, Department of Chemical Engineering, Tsinghua University

1996-1998 Assistant Professor, Department of Chemical Engineering, Tsinghua University

1998-2004 Lecturer, Department of Chemical Engineering, Tsinghua University

2004-2021 Associate Professor, Department of Chemical Engineering, Tsinghua University

2021-present Professor, Department of Chemical Engineering, Tsinghua University

1.Aging behavior, mechanism and stability evaluation and lifetime prediction of polymer materials

2.phase change material (PCM) and composites for thermal energy storage

3.Structure-property relationship of polymer materials

1. Xiangze Meng, Pinglan Yang, Xiao Wang, Rui Yang*, Baohua Guo, A Minimal, Reproducible In-Silico Workflow to Prioritize Acid-Triggerable PMMA Chain-End Candidates with Photo-/Thermo-Assisted Depolymerization Potential, Polymer, 2026, 342, 129316

2. Yan Ye, Xinyan Wu, Xiangze Meng, Rui Yang*, Baohua Guo, Xuming Xie, Insights into Photodegradation of Poly(butylene adipate/ terephthalate) Enhanced by Titanium Catalysts, Macromolecules, 2025, 58(21), 11918-11928

3. Shumao Zeng, Diannan Lu*, Rui Yang*, Unraveling the Mechanisms of Polyethylene Thermal Oxidation Influenced by TiO2 and ZnO: A Combined Experimental and Computational Study, Journal of Vinyl and Additive Technology, 2025, 31, 1110-1120

4. Zhiping Xu, Liangchen Li, Ying Liu, Rui Yang*, Photodegradation behavior of nanosilica-filled PMMA composite: cooperative effect of mixed solvents and interfacial functional groups, Polymers, 2025, 17, 2241

5. Zhiping Xu, Xiangze Meng, Ying Liu, Rui Yang*, Accelerated photodegradation of PMMA films: synergistic effect of mixed solvent, Journal of Analytical and Applied Pyrolysis, 2025, 189, 107106

6. Wentao Li, Zemeng Wang, Min Zhao, Jiangfeng Pei, Yiwen Hu, Rui Yang*, Xiaonan Wang*, Symbolic Regression Accelerates the Discovery of Quantitative Relationships in Rubber Material Aging, Journal of Materials Informatics, 2025, 5, 29

7. Yan Ye, Guoshuo Tang, Xiangze Meng, Rui Yang*, Baohua Guo, Xuming Xie, Lifetime prediction of biodegradable PBAT under various climate conditions, Journal of Clean Production, 2025, 500, 145276

8. Shumao Zeng, Diannan Lu*, Rui Yang*, Effects of crystallinity and branched chain on thermal degradation of polyethylene-A SCC-DFTB molecular dynamics study, Polymers, 2024, 16, 3038

9. Xuan Liu, Rui Yang, Zhiping Xu, Yan Ye, Guoshuo Tang, Min Zhao, Qian Zhang, Xiangze Meng, Characterization of polymer aging: A review, Chinese Journal of Polymer Science, 2024, 42(11), 1642-1660

10. Zhiping Xu, Guoshuo Tang, Ying Liu, Rui Yang*, Interfacial Effect on Photooxidative Aging of Silica-Filled Polypropylene Composites, Polymer Degradation and Stability, 2024, 110896

11. Fan Zhang, Dongfei Liu, Rui Yang*, Diannan Lu*, The panoramic view of the interface-related thermo-oxidative aging of carbon fiber reinforced epoxy composites（Cover）, Macromolecules, 2024, 57, 4648-4661

12. Xiangze Meng, Guangxuan Jin, Rui Yang*, A Quantum Chemical and Molecular Dynamics Simulation Study on Photo-Oxidative Aging of Polyethylene: Mechanism and Differences between Crystalline and Amorphous Phases, Polymer Degradation and Stability, 2023, 217, 110536

13. Xiangze Meng, Yan Ye, Rui Yang*, Computational and Experimental Study on the Mechanism of CO2 Production during Photo-oxidative Degradation of Poly(butylene adipate-co-terephthalate): Differences between PBA and PBT Segments, Macromolecules, 2023, 56(19), 7749-7762

14. Yan Ye, Xiang-ze Meng, Guo-shuo Tang, Guang-xuan Jin, Rui Yang*, Xu-ming Xie, Characterization Techniques of Polymer Biodegradation Properties, Acta Polymerica Sinica, 2023, 54(9), 1363-1384

15. Fan Zhang, Rui Yang*, Diannan Lu*, Polymer Aging Mechanism Investigated by Molecular Simulation: A Review (Editor’s choice), Polymers, 2023, 15, 1928

16. Zhiping Xu, Yan Ye, Guoshuo Tang, Ying Liu, Rui Yang*, Effect of alkylated surface modified silica nanoparticles on degradation products of PP during photooxidation aging: A Py-GC-MS analysis, Journal of Analytical and Applied Pyrolysis, 2023, 169, 105862

17. Linzhi Yin, Min Zhao*, Rui Yang, Preparation and thermal properties of propyl palmitate-based phase change composites with enhanced thermal conductivity for thermal energy storage, Polymers, 2023, 15, 3192

18. Min Zhao, Rui Yang*, N-octanoic acid-based phase change composites synthesized by absorption-polymerization for efficient thermal energy storage, Journal of Energy Storage, 2023, 64, 107169

19. Xiangze Meng, Rui Yang*, How formaldehyde affects the thermo-oxidative and photo-oxidative mechanism of polypropylene: A DFT/TD-DFT study, Polymer Degradation and Stability, 2022, 205, 110131

20. Xuan Liu, Rui YANG, Infection behavior during ageing of polymers: a review, Journal of Functional Polymers, 2022, 35(2), 101-115

21. Min Zhao, Yan Ye, Rui Yang*, Absorption-polymerization method for synthesizing phase change composites with high enthalpy and thermal conductivity for efficient thermal energy storage, Solar Energy Materials and Solar Cells, 2022, 248, 112027

22. Luxi Yang, Linchuan Dai, Lu Ye, Rui Yang*, Yangcheng Lu*, Microfluidic fabrication and thermal properties of microencapsulated n-hexadecane with a hybrid polymer shell for thermal energy storage, Materials, 2022, 15, 3708

23. Zhenhua An, Yan Ye, Zhiping Xu, Rui Yang, Study on Multi-factor Coupling Aging Kinetics of Polyolefins: Yearly and Monthly Aging Speed Maps, Acta Polymerica Sinica, 2021, 52(11), 1514-1522

24. Zhiping Xu, Zhenhua An, Yan Ye, Rui Yang, Photoantioxidant versus photodegradant: Action of nanoparticle inorganic fillers in outdoor aging of PP, Journal of Vinyl and Additive Technology, 2021, 28(2), 21863

25. Zhenhua An, Zhiping Xu, Yan Ye, Rui Yang, A Rapid and Highly Sensitive Evaluation of Polymer Composite Aging with Linear Correlation to Real-Time Aging, Analytica Chimica Acta, 2021, 1169, 338632

26. Fan Zhang, Yufei Cao, Xuan Liu, Huan Xu, Diannan Lu*, Rui Yang*, How small molecules affect the thermo-oxidative aging mechanism of polypropylene: A reactive molecular dynamics study, Polymers, 2021, 13(8), 1243

27. Zhenhua An, Rui Yang, A novel aging evaluation system and the application to polyethylene composites. Acta Polymerica Sinica, 2021, 52(2): 196-203

28. Ling Xu, Linchuan Dai, Linzhi Yin, Xiaoyu Sun, Wei Xu, Rui Yang*, Xin Wang*, Yinping Zhang, Research on climate response of variable thermo-physical property building envelopes: A literature review, Energy and Buildings, 2020, 226(1), 110398

29. Ling Xu, Xuan Liu, Rui Yang, Flame retardant paraffin-based shape-stabilized phase change material via expandable graphite-based flame-retardant coating, Molecules, 2020, 25, 2408

30. Xuan Liu, Haoyu Liu, Yifeng Li, Jiaohong Zhao, Rui Yang, Infectious effect of organic small molecules on photo-oxidative aging of polypropylene, Chem. J. Chinese Universities, 2020, 41(12), 2838-2844

31. Xuan Liu, Xiaopeng Ren, Rui Yang*, Infectious behavior in photo-oxidation of polymers, Chinese Journal of Polymer Science, 2020, 38(3), 248–256

32. LU Tiemei, HU Hu, ZHU Zixuan, YANG Rui. Sodium Polyacrylate/Sodium Sulfate Decahydrate Phase Change composites (best paper in 2020). Journal of Functional Polymers. 2020, 33(2), 157-164