Faculty Directory
Lucia Stein-Montalvo

Assistant Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering

Contact

2145 Sheridan Road
Tech A122
Evanston, IL 60208-3109

847-491-4858 Email Lucia Stein-Montalvo

Website

Adaptive Structures Lab

Departments

Civil and Environmental Engineering

Education

Presidential Postdoctoral Research Fellow, Princeton University

Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering, Boston University

M.S. in Mechanical Engineering, Boston University

B.S. in Mathematics, Davidson College

Research Interests

Dr. Stein-Montalvo’s research focuses on the mechanics of shape-shifting—i.e. compelling structures to change configuration on demand, or in response to environmental stimuli. Her work bridges fundamental investigations of nonlinear deformations and instabilities of structures with applied outcomes, exploring how these mechanics can inform the design of adaptive architectural solutions that can regulate e.g. airflow, light, and temperature in interior and exterior urban spaces. Her research is driven by experiments and supported by simulations and mathematical modeling. The overarching goal of Dr. Stein-Montalvo’s research group is to enable a more self-regulating, sustainable, and life-like built environment that can better adapt to the effects of climate change and urbanization.

Selected Publications

[1] M. Alhafnawi, J. Bendarkawi, Y. Tafesse, L. Stein-Montalvo, A. Jones, V. Chow, S. Adriaenssens, and R. Nagpal. Architectural swarms for responsive facades and creative expressions. Science Robotics 11, eady7233 (2026) doi: 10.1126/scirobotics.ady7233 https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/scirobotics.ady7233

[2] L. Stein-Montalvo, L. Ding, M. Hultmark, S. Adriaenssens, and E. Bou-Zeid. Kirigami-inspired wind-steering for natural ventilation. Journal of Wind Engineering and Industrial Aerodynamics 246, 105667 (2024) doi: 10.1016/j.jweia.2024.105667 https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0167610524000308

[3] L. Stein-Montalvo, A. Guerra, K. Almedia, O. Kodio, and D.P. Holmes. Wrinkling and developable cones in centrally confined sheets. Physical Review E 108, 035002 (2023) doi: 10.1103/PhysRevE.108.035002 https://journals.aps.org/pre/abstract/10.1103/PhysRevE.108.035002

[4] J. Flores, L. Stein-Montalvo, and S. Adriaenssens. Effect of crease curvature on the bistability of the origami waterbomb base. Extreme Mechanics Letters 57, 101909 (2022) Front cover. doi: 10.1016/j.eml.2022.101909 https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2352431622001857

[5] L. Stein-Montalvo, J.H. Lee, Y. Yang, M. Landesberg, H.S. Park, and D.P. Holmes. Efficient snap-through of spherical caps by applying a localized curvature stimulus. European Physical Journal E, 45, 3 (2022) doi: 10.1140/epje/s10189-021-00156-0 https://link.springer.com/article/10.1140/epje/s10189-021-00156-0

[6] L. Stein-Montalvo, D.P. Holmes, and G. Coupier. Delayed buckling of spherical shells due to viscoelastic knockdown of the critical load. Proc. R. Soc. A, 477: 20210253 (2021) doi: 10.1098/rspa.2021.0253 https://royalsocietypublishing.org/rspa/article/477/2253/20210253/82409/Delayed-buckling-of-spherical-shells-due-to

[7] L. Stein-Montalvo, P. Costa, M. Pezzulla, and D.P. Holmes. Buckling of geometrically confined shells. Soft Matter, 15:1215–1222 (2019) Front cover. doi: 10.1039/c8sm02035c https://pubs.rsc.org/en/content/articlelanding/2019/sm/c8sm02035c