Hamed Shahsavan
Max Planck Institute for Intelligent Systems, University of Waterloo
Papers
18
Total Citations
1,183
H-Index
12
About
Hamed Shahsavan is a pioneering materials scientist and soft robotics researcher whose work sits at the intersection of stimuli-responsive polymers, liquid crystal networks, and bioinspired robotics. His research focuses on designing programmable smart materials — particularly liquid crystal elastomers (LCEs), hydrogels, and nanocomposites — that undergo controlled, reversible shape transformations in response to light, heat, and other external stimuli. Shahsavan's most celebrated contribution, "Bioinspired underwater locomotion of light-driven liquid crystal gels" (2020, 359 citations), demonstrated how soft aquatic robots could mimic the multimodal movement of sea slugs and snails, a landmark achievement in small-scale robotics. His work on monolithic dielectric LCE actuators (2019, 213 citations) addressed a critical gap in soft robotics by delivering fast, forceful, and energy-efficient actuation. Further expanding the field, he has pioneered voxelated 3D microstructures in liquid crystal networks, kirigami metastructures, and zwitterionic hydrogel nanocomposites for programmable shape change. With over 1,100 citations across his top works, Shahsavan has established himself as a leading voice in next-generation soft robotic materials, consistently pushing the boundaries of what responsive polymer systems can achieve in autonomous, wireless, and biomimetic applications.
Research Focus
Key Achievements
Top Papers
- 1Bioinspired underwater locomotion of light-driven liquid crystal gels359 citations · 2020
- 2Monolithic shape-programmable dielectric liquid crystal elastomer actuators213 citations · 2019
- 3
- 4
- 5
- 6
- 7
- 8Liquid Crystal Networks Meet Water: It's Complicated!36 citations · 2023
- 9
- 10Stiffening Liquid Crystal Elastomers with Liquid Crystal Inclusions14 citations · 2025