Professor Hesam Askari

Hesam AskariHesam Askari received his PhD degree in Mechanical Engineering from Washington State University in 2014, learning from the expertise of of Professor Hussein Zbib, a world-famous scientist for his contributions to the field of mechanics of materials and plasticity. He moved on to a post-doctoral position at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in Professor Ken Kamrin's research group, an applied mathematician with genius take on how to approach a broad range of problems in complex flows of solids and fluids, where he studied mechanics of granular materials. He joined the University of Rochester in 2016 as a teaching faculty and started his research tenure in the spring of 2018.

His research focuses on how, on a fundamental level, geometry, topology, length scales and deformation mechanisms can be collectively integrated to promote or diminish certain properties of a matter. Application of such knowledge can lead to better utilization of intrinsic properties of materials or can pave path to design new materials with enhanced properties. His research branches in two main tracks: (i) Integrated multi-scale modeling of materials and (ii) Mechanics of locomotion in complex media and soft materials. His research method is mainly theoretical development and numerical implementation of predictive mathematical models validated by experiments.

The Team at MAL

Interested in joining our team? Check current openings or contact Professor Askari.

 


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Aditya Dey

 

Interests: Density functional theory, 2D materials, Electromechanical coupling. 

 

 

 

 

 


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Seungju (Jaime) Yeo

 

Interests: Dynamic Resistive Force Theory; Resistive Force Theory; Cohesive Granular Material 

 

 

 

 

 

 


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Pouria Hajizadeh

Interests: Statistical Analyses, granular flow.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


Past team members

Shoieb A. Chowdhuri (graduated with Ph.D in May 2023, moved to Equinix)

Shoieb ChowdhuriShoieb Chowdhury’s research interest primarily focuses on understanding at fundamental level the mechanics and mechanical properties of material. To that purpose his research spans different length scales starting from macro to atomistic scale for exploring material behavior. Some of the frequently used methods include continuum mechanics, finite element, molecular dynamics, and computational mechanics. Currently he works on modeling multi-layered 2D materials and how their properties can be altered using mechanical strain. Before joining University of Rochester in fall 2017, he worked on flexible polymer nano-composite materials using experimental and numerical methods during his master’s degree at the University of Oklahoma.


Peter M. Miklavcic (graduated with Ph.D in May 2023, moved to Naval Undersea Warfare Center)

Peter Miklavcic

Originally from Haslett, Michigan, Peter started his PhD program in the fall of 2018 after completing his bachelor’s in Mechanical Engineering at the University of Rochester. His primary research interests are the computational and experimental study of vibration propelled locomotive systems. The computational avenues of this research have seen use of Abaqus Explicit software, Siemens NX 12.0 software, and extensive MATLAB programming. Experimental procedures in this study aim to standardize a reliable experimental setup that can be used to corroborate results produced from computational work.

In addition to his research in locomotion, Peter has also spent the last two summers at Oak Ridge National Lab in Tennessee, researching the theoretical development and physical construction of an electro-thermal energy storage system with applications for grid-scale renewable energy storage.