Welcome to the Gu Research Group at UC Berkeley! We work at the intersection of bioinspiration, additive manufacturing, and artificial intelligence to design next-generation structures and devices. Our group develops deep learning and optimization frameworks that accelerate simulation and inverse design to create materials and architectures with targeted performance. We apply these tools to a range of domains, with a particular interest in aerospace and defense (quiet, efficient flight structures; lightweight aerostructures), semiconductor manufacturing (optimized deposition hardware; process-aware designs for uniform, reliable fabrication), biomedical devices (design and fabrication), and soft robotics systems (data-driven modeling of soft materials; manipulation tasks). By tightly coupling modeling with advanced manufacturing, we aim to “print what we need” with minimal material, tailoring multifunctional designs for real-world engineering platforms. Please visit the Research and Publications sections to learn more about our current projects.

We host an annual 3D printing workshop (called PrintSprint: 3D Printing Bootcamp) for undergraduate students at Berkeley to learn how to CAD, build a 3D printer from scratch, and work in a team for a design challenge. Through our outreach efforts, we hope to get students from all backgrounds excited about additive manufacturing and the joys of a life in science and engineering. See below for a photo from our most recent workshop in September 2025.