Academic Report of School of Mathematical Sciences [2026] No. 053

(Series Report for High-Level University Construction No. 1312)

Title：Integrating Poroelastic Finite Element Simulations and Machine Learning for Mechanical Parameter Identification of Porcine Lungs

Speaker：Mingchao Cai, Professor (Morgan State University)

Time：10:00-11:30, June. 8, 2026

Location：Huixing Building Room 514, Yuehai Campus

Abstract：Accurate and rapid characterization of lung mechanics remains a major challenge in the management of respiratory disease. Physics-informed poroelastic finite-element (FE) models can capture detailed tissue–airflow interactions, but their substantial computational expense precludes real-time clinical deployment. Conversely, lumped-parameter compartment models are routinely used at the bedside for fast assessment of disease severity, yet they provide limited mechanistic insight and no spatial resolution. In this work, using porcine-specific data, we integrate multi-fidelity poroelastic FE simulations with machine learning to enable fast, uncertainty-aware estimation of respiratory system compliance and resistance.

Speaker Profile：Professor Mingchao Cai is a professor and doctoral advisor at Morgan State University in Maryland, USA. His research focuses on numerical analysis and computational fluid dynamics, elasticity, and biomechanics, with an emphasis on the modeling and computation of multiphysics and multiscale problems. He has published over 40 papers in influential SCI journals such as SINUM, SISC, Math. Comput., and the Journal of Biomechanical Engineering, ASME, J. Biomechanics, among other influential SCI journals. He has authored two book chapters and delivered over 80 conference and invited presentations. He serves as a reviewer for MathSciNet and over 40 journals in computational mathematics, computational physics, and computational biomechanics. He has organized and chaired academic conferences, including the CBMS conference: Deep Learning and Numerical PDEs (2023).

Faculty and students are welcome to attend!

Invited by: Qiang Liu

School of Mathematical Sciences

June 3, 2026