Yanan Xu, PhD

yanan xu Associate Professor
1200 N. Dupont Hwy
302.857.6636
yxu [at] desu.edu

Appointments

2026 – Present Associate Professor, Division of Physics and Engineering, Mathematics and Computer Sciences, Delaware State University, Dover, DE
2022 – 2026 Assistant Professor, Division of Physics and Engineering, Mathematics and Computer Sciences, Delaware State University, Dover, DE
2017 – 2022 Visiting Assistant Professor, Division of Physics and Engineering, Mathematics and Computer Sciences, Delaware State University, Dover, DE

Research Interests

AI-Driven Modeling of Intrinsic 2D Metal–Insulator Transitions;
AI-Driven Modeling of Carbon Material Synthesis;
Ferroelectric Materials Behaviors Modeling;
Microbolometers Simulation;
Semiconductor Materials Studies

Grants

“Ferroelectric properties of rare earth element doped HfO2,” $249,873, Air Force Research Lab, PI: Yanan Xu.
“Acquisition of an Ellipsometer for Research and Education Training of Students on Thin Film Characterization,” $236,000, Department of Defense, PI: Yanan Xu.

Publications

“Dopant-controlled switching polarization mechanisms in Y- and Sc-doped ferroelectric HfO2 from first principles, Computational Materials Science”, Kevin O. Diaz-Aponte, Malachi Moody, Mukti M. Rana, Joshua R. Hendrickson, Jarrett H. Vella, Yanan Xu, Volume 270, 2026, 114793, ISSN 0927-0256, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.commatsci.2026.114793.
“Magnetron-Sputtered Lead Titanate Thin Films for Pyroelectric Applications: Part 2—Electrical Characteristics and Characterization Methods”, Fathipour, Morteza, Yanan Xu, and Mukti Rana. Materials, 17(3), 2024. https://doi.org/10.3390/ma17030589
“Magnetron Sputtered Lead Titanates Thin Films for Pyroelectric Applications: Part 1: Epitaxial Growth, Material Characterization, ” Morteza Fathipour, Yanan Xu, and Mukti Rana. Materials, 1(22), 2024. https://doi.org/10.3390/ma17010221
“Electro-thermal numerical analysis of microbolometer over various kinds of design structure under adjustable thermal conductance in the Microeletromechanical system”, Yanan Xu, Mukti Rana, Kevin Diaz-Aponte. Heliyon, 2023 Mar 24; 9(4): e14886. DOI: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2023.e14886.
“Design and Simulation of Microbolometer with Dual Cavity for High Figure of Merits”, Kevin Diaz-Aponte, Yanan Xu, Mukti Rana. Micromachines (Basel), 2023 Apr 27; 14(5): 948. DOI: 10.3390/mi14050948.
“2D-Modeling for the temperature composition dependent thermal-conductivity of AlmNn compounded semiconductor materials”, Yanan Xu, Mukti Rana, Matthew C. Tanzy. Materials Research Express, 7(6), 065901, 2020.
“Raman soliton in Nanoscale Optical Waveguides, with metamaterials, having Polynomial mode nonlinearity by Collective Variable method”, Yanan Xu, Ren Jun, Matthew C. Tanzy. Waveguide, 2018. ISBN 978-953-51-5998-8.
“Soliton propagation through nanoscale waveguides in optical metamaterials”, Yanan Xu, Michelle Savescu, Kaisar R. Khan, Mohammad F. Mahmood, Anjan Biswas, Milivoj Belic. Optics and Laser Technology, 77C, 177-186, 2016.
“Raman solitons in nanoscale optical waveguides, with metamaterials, having polynomial law nonlinearity”, Yanan Xu, Pablo Suarez, Daniela Milovic, M. F. Mahmood, Kaisar R. Khan, Anjan Biswas and Milivoj Belic. J. of Modern Optics. Vol. 63, 2016. P. 32-37.
“Bright and exotic solitons in optical metamaterials by semi-inverse variational principle”, Yanan Xu; Jose Vega-Guzman; Daniela Milovic; Mohammad Mirzazadeh; Mostafa Eslami; Mohammad Mahmood; Anjan Biswas and Milivoj Belic. Journal of Nonlinear Optical Physics and Materials., Vol. 24, No. 4(2015) 1550042 (19 pages)
“Optical Solitons in Multi-Dimensions with Spatio-Temporal Dispersion and Non-Kerr Law Nonlinearity”, Yanan Xu, Zlatko Jovanoski, Abdelaziz Bouasla, Houria Moraru and Anjan Biswas. J. Nonlinear Optic. Phys. Mat., Vol. 22 No. 3(2013) [30 pages]
“Super-Gausian Solitons in Optical Metamaterials Using Collective Variables. Journal of Computational and Theo.”, Marija Veljkovic, Yanan Xu, Daniela Milovic, M.F. Mahmood, Anjan Biswas and Milivoj R. Belic. Nanoscience. 12(12) 2015 P.5119-5124
“Bright solitons in optical metamaterials by traveling wave hypothesis”, Yanan Xu, Qin Zhou, Ali H. Bhrawy, Kaisar R. Khan, M. F. Mahmood, Anjan Biswas, Milivoj Belic. Optoeletronics and Advanced Materials-Rapid Communications. Vol. 9, No. 3-4, March-April 2015. P. 384-387.

Teaching Experience

MTSC-863-Functional Analysis;
MTSC-861-Real Analysis;
MTSC-621- Functional Analysis;
MTSC-571-Complex Analysis;
MTSC-562- Real Analysis II;
MTSC-561-Real Analysis I;
MTSC-541-Advanced Probability;
MTSC-511-Abstract Algebra;
MTSC-471-Complex Analysis;
MTSC-461-Introduction to Real Analysis;
MTSC-452- Advanced Calculus II;
MTSC-451- Advanced Calculus I;
MTSC-431-Numerical Analysis;
MTSC-411-Algebra Structure I;
MTSC-351-Ordinary Differential Equations;
MTSC-319-Combinatorics;
MTSC-317-Number Theory;
MTSC-251-Calculus I;
MTSC-241-Elementary Statistics;
MTSC-225-Calculus for Business and Social Sciences I;
MTSC-125-Finite Mathematics;
MTSC-122-Trigonometry;
MTSC-121-College Algebra;
MTSC-101/102-Survey Mathematics I/II;
MTSC-075-Introduction to Algebra.

Dissertation Defense Committee member

Lin Cong (Ph.D. Defense-2026)
Trey McVey (M.S. Defense-2026)
Jessica Patel (Ph.D. Oral Candidacy Presentation-2026)
Kevin O. Diaz-Aponte (Ph.D. Defense-2026)
Mahin Muntasir (M.S. Defense-2026)
Yao Xia (Ph.D. Defense-2026)
Razia Khan Sharme (M.S. Defense-2025)
Samuel Appiah-Adjei (Ph.D. Defense-2025)
Daemar Casey (Ph.D. Oral Candidacy Presentation-2025)
Femina Vadakepurathu (Ph.D. Oral Candidacy Presentation-2024)
Mutasim Ismail Mohamed Nour (M.S. Defense-2019)

Work Service

Program Coordinator: Undergraduate Mathematics. DSU. 2026-Now
Faculty Senate: DSU. 09.2023-Now
Course Coordinator: Elementary Statistics, DSU. 09.2017-Now
Undergraduate Committee Member: Mathematical Sciences, DSU. 09.2018-Now
Graduate Committee Member: Mathematical Sciences, DSU. 09.2020-Now
Course Coordinator: College Algebra, DSU. 09.2021-05.2024
Course Co-Coordinator: Trigonometry, DSU. 09.2018-08.2021
Judge at the DSU Annual Summer Research Symposium, 07.2018-07.2023
Judge for the FIRST Tech Challenge, 03.2022 and 03.2023
Problem Based Learning Editing Support: Mathematical Sciences, DSU. 01.2019-12.2022
Judge for virtual Summer Research Symposium, DSU. 08.06.2021
Volunteer for the Diamond State First Tech Championship, 02.03.2018
Online Course Developer: Elementary Statistics, DSU, Summer 2020
Online Course Developer: Calculus for Business and Social Sciences I, DSU, Fall 2018

Professional Preparation

Inner Mongolia University (China) Applied Mathematics M.Sc., 2012
Delaware State University, DE Applied Mathematics M.Sc., 2014
Delaware State University, DE Applied Mathematics Ph.D., 2017