Recently, the Degree Committee of the Ministry of Education made an announcement about the National Excellent Doctoral Dissertation Awards of the Year 2013. Dr. Xuenan Gu, a Ph.D. graduate enrolled in 2006, supervised by Professor Yufeng Zheng of the Department of Materials Science and Engineering, won the honor with her Ph.D. thesis entitled “Fluid Degradation and Biocompatibility Study of Magnesium-based Materials”.

In the study on medical application of magnesium, there are some problems such as magnesium contains potentially toxic alloying elements, and the implants degrade more rapidly than the reconstruction process of surrounding tissues. Gu carried out a systematic and in-depth study upon the selection and dose of alloying elements in a new-type medical-use magnesium alloys, and explored the degradation mechanism of magnesium alloys, in an effort to match the time and space change of the alloys and human issues. Her research results provided theoretical and experimental basis for the design of magnesium alloys in medical use.

During Gu’s Ph.D. studies, she had published 15 SCI articles as the first author with a total impact factor of over 70. After completing her studies, Gu became a faculty member in the Department of Biomedical Engineering at Beihang University in China. Recently, Gu and her Ph.D. supervisor Professor Yufeng Zheng have co-authored a review article about "degradable metal" upon invitation by Materials Science & Engineering R: Reports, giving definition of degradable metal for the first time in the international community.