GAURAV ARYA
Assistant Professor of Nanoengineering
garya@ucsd.edu
(858) 822-5542
Research Interests

Gaurav Arya received his Ph.D. degree in Chemical Engineering from the University of Notre Dame in 2003. He did his postdoctoral research at Princeton University and held an Assistant Research Scientist position at New York University before joining UCSD in 2007. His research interests are in development and application of theoretical and computational methods to elucidate fundamental mechanisms of gene regulation related to chromatin regulation, protein-DNA recognition, and RNA interference and to aid in the rational design of biomolecules and nanosystems.

Prab Bandaru received his Ph.D. from the Department of Materials Science and Engineering at the University of California, Berkeley in 1998, with a graduate thesis in the thermodynamic phase transformation issues in magneto-optic media. After approximately a year long stint as a process research engineer in ferroelectric materials at Applied Materials Inc., Santa Clara, he joined the Electrical Engineering department at UC, Los Angeles as a post-doctoral research engineer, where he worked on nano-fabrication, low temperature solid state science and Si-Ge nanophotonics.

DAVID J. BENSON
Professor of Applied Mechanics
dbenson@ucsd.edu
(858) 534-5928
Research Interests

David J. Benson received his Ph.D. in mechanical engineering from the University of Michigan in 1983. He was a research engineer at the University of California Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory from 1984-87 before joining the faculty in 1987. His general area of research is the development of algorithms for nonlinear finite element analysis on super-computers; applications include the detailed modeling of an automobile crashing into a wall. His current research includes the modeling of ductile void growth in metals at the microscopic level, the development of algorithms for Eulerian finite element programs, and the analysis of the shock compaction of superconductors.

• Fellow of American Society of Mechanical Engineering
• Member of the ASME Committee for Computing in Applied Mechanics
• Member of the Editorial Advisory Board for the International Journal for Plasticity

ANNE HOGER
Professor of Solid Mechanics
ahoger@ucsd.edu
(858) 534-2169
Research Interest

Anne Hoger received her Ph.D. in theoretical and applied mechanics from the University of Illinois in 1984. She was a visitor at the mathematics department of Carnegie-Mellon University and the Department of Applied Mechanics at California Institute of Technology before joining the faculty at UCSD in 1987. Her research interests are in the area of continuum mechanics and its application to biological materials. Current projects include the constitutive theory of residually stressed elastic materials, elucidation of the role of residual stress in growth, and the development of a mechanical model of the red blood cell membrane that incorporates structural detail at the level of cytoskeletal proteins and their interactions.

• NSF Presidential Young Investigator, 1990
• School of Engineering Teaching Award, UCSD, 1992

Sungho Jin received his Ph.D. degree in materials science from the University of California, Berkeley in 1974. After two years of research at the Lawrence Berkeley Laboratory, he joined Bell Laboratories in 1976 (as a Member of Technical Staff , and later on served as Technical Manager) where he carried out forefront research on magnetic, electronic, superconducting, diamond, bio, carbon nanotube, and MEMS materials/devices for 26 years. He joined UCSD in 2002 as a professor of materials science in the Department of MAE. His research focus is on discovery of new materials and phenomena, and interdisciplinary incorporation of such materials for electronic, magnetic, telecommunication, MEMS and bio device applications

• Elected National Academy of Engineering, 1999
• Joined the rank of 100-member-Fellows of the TMS (The Minerals, Metals and Materials Society), 2000
• Ho-Am Prize in Engineering, 2000
• Inaugural holder of Iwama Endowed Chair for Materials Science in UCSD, 2002
• Fellow of the American Society for Metals, 1995
• Principal Editor, Journal of Materials Research

Vlado A. Lubarda received his mechanical engineering degree from the University of Montenegro in 1975, and his MS and PhD from Stanford University in 1977 and 1979.  He has been a Docent and Associate Professor at the University of Montenegro from 1980-1989, and a Fulbright Fellow and Visiting Associate Professor at Brown University from 1989-1991, and the Arizona State University from 1992-1997.  He is an Adjunct Professor of Applied Mechanics in the Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering at the University of California, San Diego since 1998.  He has done research work in the fields of elasticity, plasticity, dislocation theory, damage mechanics, biomechanics, and materials science.  He is the author of more than 100 journal and conference publications and three books: Strength of Materials (University of Montenegro Press, 1989, 584 pages), Elastoplasticity Theory (CRC Press, 2002, 638 pages), and Mechanics of Solids and Materials (Cambridge University Press, 2006, 860 pages).  Professor Lubarda is the recipient of the Teacher of the Year Award in Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Department for 2003/2004 and 2006/2007 years, and the 2004 Barbara and Paul Saltman Distinguished Teaching Award from UCSD.  He was elected in 2000 for a corresponding and in 2006 for a full member of the Montenegrin National Academy of Sciences and Arts.

Xanthippi Markenscoff received her Ph.D. from Princeton University in 1974. She has been a research associate at M.I.T., an assistant professor at Carnegie-Mellon University, and a professor at UCSB before joining UCSD as professor of applied mechanics in 1988. She has also been intermittently a visiting professor of solid mechanics at Brown University. Her research includes elastodynamics, dislocation theory and analysis of singular problems in elasticity and fracture mechanics.

• Ranked first at the nationwide university entrance examination and was awarded a merit scholarship by the Greek government (1965).
• Awarded the Wallace-Lothrop Memorial Fellowship in Engineering (highest award), Princeton University (l973).
• Guest Professor at the Max-Planck Institute, Stuttgart (1983).
• Fellow, American Society of Mechanical Engineers (1994).
• Professor Honoris Causa Faculty of Mathematics & Mechanics, St. Petersburg State University, Russia (1997).
• Gold Medal for Science and Technology, Technical University of Crete (1999).
• Fellow, Society of Engineering Sciences (elect) (2002).
• Visiting Miller Professor, UC Berkeley (Fall 2003).
• Directeur de Recherche (Visiting) Ecole Polytechnique, Paris, France (Fall 2004).

Joanna McKittrick received her Ph.D. in materials science and engineering from MIT, with a concentration in ceramic science, in 1988 and then joined the UCSD faculty. Her research is concerned with the generation of materials with superior properties through novel processing techniques. Two such methods are (1) rapid solidification processing of ceramics and (2) synthesis of ceramic powders via chemical decomposition routes. Her goal is to obtain ceramic bodies with tailored mechanical, magnetic, electrical, or luminescent properties through compositional and/or microstructural control available by these methods.

• Tau Beta Pi, University of Colorado
• Pi Tau Sigma, University of Colorado
• Walter P. Murphy Fellowship, Northwestern University
• Howard Hughes Doctoral Fellowship, MIT
• Sigma Xi, MIT
• Visiting Scholar, Los Alamos National Library
• Member of the American Ceramic Society, Materials Research Society and the Society for Information Display

Professor Marc Andre Meyers received his Mechanical Engineer Degree from the Federal University of Minas Gerais, Brazil. His M. S. and Ph. D. are from the University of Denver. His principal research activities encompass:

• Mechanical behavior of materials: grain size effects, twinning.
• Dynamic behavior of materials: laser shock and isentropic compression, defects at shock fronts, dynamic fracture, adiabatic shear localization, fragmentation, shock induced chemical reactions, explosive welding.
• Processing of materials: combustion synthesis, shock synthesis and consolidation.

• Structural biological materials: mollusk shells, bird beaks, arthropod exoskeletons.
• Nanostructured materials: mechanical properties, processing, laser shock compression.

He is a co-founder ( with L. E. Murr ) and co-chair of the EXPLOMET (1980,85,90,95,00) conferences. His administrative positions included serving as the Director and Associate of the Institute for Mechanics and Materials, University of California , San Diego (1993-1997); Associate Director, Center for Explosives Technology Research, New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology (1983-1988); and as Advisor to the Director, Materials Science Division, U. S. Army Research Office, Durham, NC(1985-1987). He is the author or co-author of approximately 290 publications and three books, two of which have been translated into Chinese: Mechanical Behavior of Materials, Mechanical Metallurgy ( both with K. K. Chawla), and Dynamic Behavior of Materials. He is the coeditor of Mechanics and Materials, among seven other books.For detailed information, publications, classes taught, research laboratories, graduate students and associated activities, see: http://www.meyersgroup.ucsd.edu

• Distinguished Materials Scientist/Engineer Award, SMD/TMS, 2003
• Fellow, ASM International, 1997
• Humboldt Senior Scientist Award, Germany, 1996
• B. E. Award, New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology, 1983
• Philipson Prize (best student), University of Denver, 1974
• Best Student Award, Alliance Francaise, 1967.

• Mechanical Properties of Nanocrystalline Materials , Progress in Materials Science, 4 (2006)427-556.
• Structure and Mechanical Behavior of a Toucan Beak, Acta mat., 53(2005)5281-5296.
• Laser and Shock Compression of Copper and Copper-Aluminum Alloys, Intl. J. Impact Eng., 32(2005)473-507.
• Growth and Structure in Abalone Shell, Matls. Sci. and Eng. A390(2005)27-41.
• Structural Biological Composites, JOM, July 2006.

Hidenori Murakami received his Ph.D. in applied mechanics from UCSD in 1978; he joined the faculty in 1982. His research has been concerned with 1) the development of advanced continuum models for heterogeneous materials including aerospace, civil, and biological composite materials, 2) constitutive modeling of failure and damage evolution of materials, 3) physically-based virtual reality utilizing large scale finite- element analyses, 4) vehicle mobility analyses with emphasis on soil-vehicle interaction, and 5) applications of wavelet theories to manufacturing and material processing.

S. Nemat-Nasser received his Ph.D. from UC Berkeley in 1964. In 1966 he came to UCSD. From 1970-85 he was professor of applied mechanics and applied mathematics at Northwestern University. In 1985 he returned to UCSD. Current research: Experimentally-based analytical/computational, nano-scale modeling of response and failure modes of materials, particularly multifunctional structural systems, e.g., structural composites with tunable electromagnetic functionality, thermal management, self-healing, and self-sensing; polyelectrolytes and ionic polymer metal composites as soft-actuators and sensors; shape-memory alloys; bio-hybrid interfaces and their short- and long-term functionality; advanced metals and ceramics; elastomers; granular materials; and hybrid composites

• Editor-in-Chief, J. Mech. Mat.; Editor, Mechanics Today and Mech. of Elastic and Inelastic Solids.
• ASME, Fellow
• SES, Fellow, Past President
• AAM, Founding Member, Fellow, Past Secretary and Past President
• The Danish Center for Applied Mathematics and Mechanics, Foreign Fellow
• Member of the National Academy of Engineers
• Recipient of SES 2002 William Prager Medal in Solid Mechanics
• Recipient of ASME 2002 Nadai Medal

Vitali F. Nesterenko received his Ph.D. in 1975 and Doctor in Physics and Mathematics in 1989 from Russian Academy of Sciences (RAS), Novosibirsk. He held positions of Head of Research Department in Special Design Office of High-Rate Hydrodynamics (RAS, Novosibirsk, 1978-1989), Head of Laboratory of Advanced Materials, Lavrentyev Institute of Hydrodynamics (RAS) Novosibirsk State University (1990-1994). He joined UCSD in 1994 as visiting Research Scientist and in 1996 as faculty. Current research: micromechanics of powder deformation under dynamic and quasistatic loading, shear instability in heterogeneous materials under dynamic loading, shear induced chemical reactions in condensed materials, wave propagation in essentially nonlinear granular materials, mechanics of densification and sintering of advanced ceramics and alloys. He is the author of the book High-Rate Deformation of Heterogeneous Materials.

• Research Scientist on Exchange Program between USA National Academy of Sciences and USSR Academy of Sciences (1984)
• Titles of Senior Researcher (1988) and Professor (1992) from Russian Academy of Sciences
• Member of Editorial Board of International Journal 'Explosive, Combustion and Shock Waves'
• Elected Fellow of American Physical Society, 2003

KENNETH S. VECCHIO
Professor of Materials Science
kvecchio@ucsd.edu
(858) 534-6076
Research Interests

Kenneth S. Vecchio received his Ph.D. in materials science and engineering from Lehigh University in 1988 and joined the faculty at UCSD later that year. He currently directs the Electron Optics and Microanalysis Facility for the School of Engineering at UCSD. His research includes: electron microscopy (scanning, transmission, and analytical), convergent beam electron diffraction, and X-ray microanalysis; high-strain-rate deformation and fracture in metal alloys; shock effects in materials; fatigue; fracture; and fracture mechanics. Much of his research focuses on structure-property relations in structural engineering materials.

• Irene Payne Award From Microbeam Analysis Society (MAS) 1986, 1987
• First Prize Materials Research Center Review Seminar, Lehigh University, April 1987
• George P. Conard II, Award for Outstanding Graduate Achievement at Lehigh University, 1987