Dr. Tian (Tim) Chen is an Associate Professor in the Department of Aeronautics, where he leads the Architected Intelligent Matter (AIM) group. The AIM group works at the intersection of mechanics, materials, and geometry to explore the notion of intelligent matter. It pursues this exploration through the lenses of science and art. Scientifically, the group harnesses internal architecture, functional constituents, and multiphysical interactions. Artistically, it uses the same machinery to compose form, motion, and the trace of process.

Tim studied Engineering Science at the University of Toronto and earned a master's with distinction in civil engineering at TU Delft, then worked as an engineer at Arup before completing his Dr. Sc. in mechanical engineering at ETH Zurich, where he received the ETH Medal. He went on to a postdoc at EPFL in both mechanical engineering and computer science, and joined the University of Houston as an Assistant Professor before moving to Imperial in 2026. His work has been published in venues including Nature, Science Advances, PNAS, and SIGGRAPH, and he serves as Editor-in-Chief of 3D Printing and Additive Manufacturing.