This award was established by the late Reldon Cooper, co-founder of Du-Co Ceramics, and is awarded to a young professional member of ACerS who demonstrates exceptional leadership and service to ACerS. This year’s award winner is Xuan Song. For more information please visit: https://ceramics.org/award/du-co-ceramics-young-professional-award/.
Prof. Xuan Song received his Ph.D. in Industrial Engineering from the University of Southern California in 2016. After that, he became an Assistant Professor and then Associate Professor at the University of Iowa (UIowa), where he now leads a research group focused on ceramic additive manufacturing (AM). He has published extensively in ceramic AM, including two articles featured as Editor’s Choice in the Journal of the American Ceramic Society, and holds several U.S. patents related to ceramic AM technologies. His research excellence has been recognized by numerous awards, including the NSF CAREER Award, the AFOSR YIP Award, and the SME Outstanding Young Manufacturing Engineer Award.
Prof. Song served as Co-Chair (2024-2026) of the ACerS Young Professionals Network (YPN), where he worked closely with colleagues from industry, academia, and government laboratories to establish more effective venues for engaging and connecting young professionals within the ceramics community. Representing the young professional community, he also served on the ACerS Committee on Strategic Planning for Emerging Opportunities (SPEO), contributing to the alignment of ACerS leadership strategies with early-career engagement. In addition, he has collaborated with the ACerS Education and Professional Development Council (EPDC) to coordinate educational and professional development opportunities for students and young professionals within the Society.
Prof. Song has continuously served as a symposium organizer in ceramic AM at major ACerS conferences, including MS&T, PACRIM/GOMD, and PACC-FMAs. Internationally, he is active in service to the broader ceramics and manufacturing communities. He has served on the International Advisory Board for the International Ceramics Congress, on the Scientific Committee for the World Congress on Micro and Nano Manufacturing, and as an Editorial Board Member for npj Advanced Manufacturing.