Draft:Zhiyong Cedric Xia

Zhiyong Cedric Xia (born 21 June 1966, in Dongtai, Jiangsu, China) is a Chinese-American engineer known for his contributions to sheet metal forming, materials modeling and fracture mechanics, and integrated computational materials engineering in automotive and electronic industries. In acknowledgment of his many achievements, in 2024, Cedric Xia was elected to National Academy of Engineering with a citation "For advanced forming technologies in automotive and electronic products."..

Education and Career
Xia started his college education in 1983 at Shanghai Jiao Tong University in China. Four years later, Xia earned his dual bachelor’s degrees in naval architecture and computer science. He came to the United States in 1989 to pursue his advanced degrees. Xia first went to Florida Atlantic University and received his master's degree, in 1990, in Ocean Engineering. He then attended Harvard University and studied under Professor John W. Hutchinson. Xia obtained his master’s and doctorate degrees, in 1992 and 1994, respectively, both in applied mechanics. His PhD dissertation was titled "Micromechanics of fiber-reinforced ceramic composites".

Xia joined the Scientific Research Lab of Ford Motor Company, as a Technical Specialist, in 1995. He later became the Technical Leader responsible for the research, development and implementation of materials, manufacturing, and Computer Aided Engineering technologies. Xia transitioned to Apple Inc in 2014, first as a senior manager, and then a Distinguished Engineer and Director, leading the development of Finite Element Analysis and machine learning methods for the design of Apple products such as iPhone, iPad, Mac, Watch, AirPods and Vision Pro.

Recognitions and Achievements
Throughout his 30-year career, Xia has worked on a diverse fields of mechanics, materials, manufacturing and modeling. He holds 25 patent awards and 2 trade secrets, and has contributed to over 100 refereed technical papers as either an author or co-author. Additionally, he has edited 7 books/journals and produced over 50 internal technical reports.

Xia's contributions have been widely recognized by esteemed organizations. He was a recipient of the Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE) Henry Ford II Distinguished Award (2005), the SAE/AISI Sydney H. Melbourne Award (2009), the SAE Forest R. McFarland Award (2011), and the STLE Surface Engineering Best Paper Award (2014). Furthermore, he received the Henry Ford Technology Awards, the Ford Motor Company's highest technical honor, in 2005, 2009, and 2011.

Xia has held many leadership positions in industrial consortiums and professional organizations. He was a member and a past chair the Executive Committee of the ASME Manufacturing Engineering Division from 2008 to 2013. He served on the Board of Directors of the Materials Technology Team for US Department of Energy(DOE)/United States Council for Automotive Research (USCAR) from 2013 to 2014.

In recognition of his outstanding contributions to the field, Xia was admitted to the Society of Manufacturing Engineers College of Fellows in 2023

Family
Xia is the younger brother of Zhihong Xia, a renowned mathematician and currently the Arthur and Gladys Pancoe Professor of Mathematics at Northwestern University.