The department faculty are involved in a broad array of research that includes both disciplinary and interdisciplinary work supported by a number of funding sources. These include research in:
All Faculty
Electromechanical effects, Fiber networks, Biomechanics
Thermomechanical damage & fracture with peridynamics; Modeling of diffusion, dissolution and corrosion; Damage in heterogeneous materials; Fast, convolution-based methods for peridynamic models; Optimization of material composition & optimal shape design
Materials for extreme environments; Laser processing; Corrosion; Irradiation damage; Spark plasma sintering; Microstructural characterizations
Advanced nanomaterials and nanomanufacturing, Experimental and theoretical analysis of electrospinning process, Continuous polymer, carbon, and ceramic nanofibers, Hierarchical materials and composites, Damage and fracture mechanics
Robotic Highway Safety Markers, Miniature Surgical Robots, Real-Time Measurement of Track Stiffness, Planetary Cliff Descent Using Cooperative Robots
Processing and flow-induced crystallization of polymers; Nucleation control in polymers; Conjugated polymers; Hierarchical structures and self-assembly; Biopolymers
Flow and heat transfer using functionalized metallic surfaces; Micro-fluidics; Flame Weeding; Vaporizing and combusting sprays; Blast wave mitigation; DNA multiplication (rapid PCR development) for detection of biological agents; Plastics processing
Quantum Materials and Quantum sensing
Regulate cell function and fate via applying biomaterial cues and mechanical loading signals, Integrate molecular engineering (RNA interference or overexpression) of key signaling molecules
Bioprinting; 3D printing; Biomanufacturing; Nanofabrication; Reconstruction of physiological microenvironments; 3D in vitro disease models; Biosensors and Bioelectronics
Theoretical, computational, and experimental studies to characterize large deformation thermo-mechanical response of materials, in particular polymers
Mechanical systems design and analysis, Robotics including medical robotics (surgical and rehabilitation applications), Modularity in mechanical systems, Graph-theoretic techniques in robotics and mechanical systems design
The translation of mechanobiology to improve cardiovascular medicine and ophthalmology through integration of techniques in biomechanics, nanotechnology, molecular biology, histology, imaging, finite element analysis, and adaptive modeling
Modeling and Analysis of Manufacturing Processes; Systems Sensing and Control of Traditional and Nontraditional macro, micro and nano Manufacturing Processes
Fluid mechanics, Cell mechanics, Multiscale flow systems and biological systems based on interdisciplinary experimental approaches
General area of microstructural development in materials during processing; Formation of nanostructured materials; Development of nanoscale structures for functional devices; Developing novel nanomagnetic materials for high-energy permanent magnets
Crystallization, Self-assembly, and Material Design; Mechanics of Nanomaterials and Nanostructures
Experimental ultrasonics, Nanoindentation, Atomic force microscopy, Elastic wave propagation
Laser Material Processing; Blast Wave Absorbing Structure; Diesel Engine Emissions Control