Academics / PhD ProgramMechanics, Materials, and Structures PhD Specialization
Mechanics, materials, and structures, is an interdisciplinary field of engineering. It combines the fundamental physical sciences with powerful mathematical, computational, and experimental techniques to develop fundamental understanding of material behavior at multiple scales, achieving superior performance of these materials in all engineering fields, and predicting service life and failure of materials and structures. It also aims to optimize advanced structures and materials, increase their load-carrying capability and improve their resistance to failure.
Learn more about research in this department
Faculty members are engaged in cutting-edge research in computational mechanics, composite materials, nanocomposites, fracture mechanics and nondestructive evaluation.
Meet our faculty working in this area:
- Ange-Therese Akono
- Oluwaseyi Balogun
- Zdeněk Bažant
- David Corr
- Gianluca Cusatis
- Yonggang Huang
- Sinan Keten
View faculty who are recruiting PhD students for fall 2024
Curriculum Overview
Objectives of the program include assessment of structural integrity through methods of fracture mechanics and nondestructive evaluation; processing of composite, nanocomposites, and hybrid materials; characterization and assessment of materials and structures under dynamic conditions; mechanics of materials for energy generation and storage such as, wind energy and fuel cells; constitutive modeling of geomaterials; and development and evaluation of materials for infrastructure.
Eligibility and Admission
Graduate students in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering come from throughout the world with degrees in a variety of fields, including engineering, mathematics, the physical sciences, management, economics, and other social sciences.
Admissions decisions are based on the overall academic picture presented through transcripts and suppporting documents, such as the statement of purpose and letters of recommendation.