Dr Min Yu is an Imperial College Research Fellow (ICRF) in the Department of Mechanical Engineering, Imperial College London, where he has established an independent research career. Dr Min Yu's research focuses on in-situ multimodal sensing of mechanical interfaces, enabled by acoustic, electrical, and optical methods, multiphysics simulations, data-driven technologies, and advanced signal processing, control, and optimization algorithms. Core applications include in-situ lubrication condition sensing for mechanical drives and transmissions, and haptic sensing for bio-inspired, industrial, and medical robotics.

Dr Yu was awarded an Imperial College Research Fellowship (ICRF, 2022) for the project “Intelligent lubrication: from open-loop to closed-loop.” He is also the principal investigator (PI) on several competitive research grants, including the Tsinghua Tribology Open Foundation (2025), Royal Society International Exchanges – Cost Share Scheme (2023), the Open Foundation of the State Key Laboratory of Fluid Power and Mechatronic Systems (2022), the Taiho Kogyo Tribology Research Foundation (TTRF, 2021), and the Dame Julia Higgins Engineering Postdoctoral Collaborative Research Fund (2019). He was nominated for Imperial President's Award for Outstanding Early Career Researcher (2023).

Dr Yu’s research has attracted industrial consultancy projects sponsored by leading vehicle and lubricant companies, including Toyota, OLA Electric, Caterpillar, Shell, and ExxonMobil. He has 6 patents granted and over 70 peer-reviewed articles published, including 3 ESI Highly Cited Papers and 8 publications in top-tier journals with impact factors above 10. Dr Yu's paper won High-Impact Paper Award in Engineering (2024), Dowson Prize at the 48th Leeds-Lyon Tribology Symposium and Tribology International (2025), and Featured Cover Article in Friction (2026). Dr Yu has served as Guest Editor for 2 Special Issues in Machines (2023) and Wear (2025).

Vacancy
1 PhD Studentship that fully covers tuition fees, stipend, and technical and professional training programmes is open to UK students. International students with strong education background and academic records are encouraged to apply scholarships. Please see all my research projects listed in the "Research" page. To apply, email cover letter and CV to m.yu14@imperial.ac.uk