Richard Mu

Dr. Richard Mu currently holds the position of Research Professor at the TSU Interdisciplinary Graduate Engineering Research (TIGER) Institute, Tennessee State University. He completed his M.S. and Ph.D. in Condensed Matter Physics at Southern Illinois University at Carbondale (SIU-C) in 1987 and 1992, respectively, and earned his B.S. in Physics from Northeastern Normal University in Changchun, China, in 1982. Dr. Mu specializes in materials physics, focusing on nano- and meso-scale functional materials. His areas of expertise include: i) targeted drug release and delivery systems, ii) innovative approaches to energy conversion, transport, and storage, iii) smart sensory and skin electronics, and iv) optoelectronic and quantum nanostructures, such as 2D, 1D, and 0D materials, along with their interfaces and heterojunctions.

Dr. Mu has established a wide-ranging network of regional, national, and international research partnerships and collaborations. He is the Director of the TSU-Fisk-University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign I-MRSEC Partnership for Research and Education in Materials (PREM). Beside he has a very dynamic research team at the TIGER Institute, his role as the Associate Director for Research is primarily responsible for establishing and fostering multidisciplinary research collaborations, particularly in the realms of advanced materials research and manufacturing.

Beyond his duties on campus, Dr. Mu is actively involved in several professional organizations. Examples include: He has been a member of the External Advisory Board at the Center for Manufacturing Research, Tennessee Technology University since 2018. Additionally, he is a committee member for the 5th International Conference on Advanced Functional Materials, scheduled for 2024 in London, UK.