Solid Mechanics Research
Our solid mechanics research spans length scales from railroads to proteins and includes applications such as high-performance vehicles, additive manufacturing, broken bones, and much more. Browse below to learn more about our faculty-led research labs in solid mechanics.
Natasha Vermaak's Thermostructural lab studies the mechanics of materials and structures with a focus on design and optimization. They use computational and experimental techniques to address problems of thermostructural design, materials degradation, and durability. Research updates and lab news can be found on LinkedIn @NatashaVermaak.
Graduate student placements: Siemens, Victaulic, Ingersoll Rand, Light Efficient Systems S.A., GE, Relativity Space
Read more about Prof. Vermaak and one of her projects on topology optimization in additive manufacturing.
Hannah Dailey’s lab uses engineering mechanics approaches to study the biomechanics of bone fractures and bone healing in response to mechanical loading. Her lab collaborates with orthopaedic surgeons outside Lehigh and is pioneering new techniques for virtual mechanical testing using image-based finite element models. These large simulations are run using Lehigh’s high-performance computing (HPC) infrastructure. Research updates and lab news can be found on LinkedIn @HannahDailey.
Graduate student placements: DePuySynthes Spine, AO Research Institute Davos (Switzerland), Globus Medical, Cytek Biosciences, New Hudson Facades, MPR Associates, Nephron Research LLC.
Below: This 3D-printed model of a partially healed bone was built from a CT scan and reveals a complex structure of new bone forming at the fracture site.
Read more about Prof. Dailey.
Edmund Webb's lab uses atomic and molecular scale computational simulation methods to explore thermodynamic and mechanical properties of materials, with emphasis on behavior near interfaces and in complex flow scenarios. Explorations by the group include human blood protein structure/function response in varying flow conditions, nanoparticle suspension capillary flow behavior, behavior at interfaces between water and hydrophobic surfaces, and other interface flow problems. We employ explicit atomistic and coarse grain molecular simulation codes that utilize local and national supercomputing facilities to conduct our research. The group collaborates closely with companion experimental groups, enjoying highly multidisciplinary studies.
Research updates and lab news can be found on X @WebbMeMESLab.
Graduate student placements: Oregon Health & Science University, Nvidia, DoD Joint Artificial Intelligence Center, UBTECH Robotics, Penn State, Eastern University, Western Washington University, Lafayette College
Read more about Prof. Webb and one of his projects on the biomolecular response of blood proteins under flow conditions.
Parisa Khodabakhshi’s lab focuses on enabling outer-loop applications for large scale problems in computational mechanics by advancing computational efficiency. Their research integrates the development of advanced numerical methods, model reduction techniques, scientific machine learning, and multifidelity approaches to achieve this goal.
Read more about Prof. Khodabakhshi