Jochen Mueller, an assistant professor in the Department of Civil and Systems Engineering at Johns Hopkins University, performs research that combines additive manufacturing, functional materials, and computational design in order to create programmable matter. Mueller’s hands-on background in the aerospace and automotive industries allows him to pursue research projects that have real-world applications, improving materials used in everything from soft robots to lightweight structures. In 2020, he received the Lopez-Loreta Prize to conduct research on improving the materials used in prosthetic devices and exoskeletons. Holding a doctorate from ETH Zurich, a master’s in Advanced Mechanical Engineering from Imperial College London, and a bachelor’s in Mechanical Engineering from Albstadt‐Sigmaringen University, Mueller recently completed a postdoctoral fellowship in the Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering at Harvard University.