Minoru Taya has been a Professor of Mechanical Engineering, and Adjunct Professor of Materials Science and Engineering at the University of Washington since 1986. He is also currently running a Center for Intelligent Materials and Systems (CIMS) as Director, where he is involved in supervising a number of projects related to intelligent materials and systems. He is a Fellow of the American Academy of Mechanics (ASME) and also serves as an associate editor and editorial board member for several journals. He has served as the Chair of the Materials Divison of ASME in the past. Professor Taya has published over 235 journal and conference papers, co-authored a monograph and edited five books.