Computational Design Innovation Laboratory

The CDI Lab is pleased to welcome Andrew Fletcher as our newest PhD student as of Fall 2021.  Andrew joins us from the University of California at San Diego, where he completed his bachelor’s degree in aerospace engineering.  During his undergraduate studies, Andrew gained valuable experience in multidisciplinary design optimization under the guidance of UCSD professor John Hwang.  During this time, he also gained research experience through the development of an original software tool for automated geometry generation for aircraft design.  While at Illinois Andrew plans to continue pursuing his passion for design optimization, as his PhD research will investigate topology optimization of structures subject to dynamic loading.

NCSA Blue Waters Computation Facility

Prof. Kai James has been chosen as a 2021 Faculty Fellow by the National Center for Supercomputing Applications.  This prestigious distinction is awarded annually to faculty and researchers at the University of Illinois who are using high-performance computing in bold and innovative ways.  The program provides one year of seed funding for collaborative projects with NCSA staff.  Prof. James will work with NCSA researcher Dr. Diab Abueidda and PhD student, Cory Parrott, to develop novel artificial intelligence algorithms for automated design of complex engineering systems.

3D Printed shape-memory alloy gripper mechanism

I am pleased to announce that earlier this week, CDI Lab PhD students Anurag Bhattacharyya and Ziliang Kang successfully defended their PhD dissertations. Anurag’s dissertation presented a novel framework for hierarchical design of self-actuating shape-memory polymer mechanisms, while Ziliang’s dissertation introduced an original design methodology for computational synthesis of shape-memory alloy mechanisms for soft robotics applications. This Fall, Anurag will be heading to UC San Diego where he will be a postdoctoral research scientist in the lab of Prof. Alicia Kim.  Beginning in August 2021, Troy will be a postdoctoral research scientist in the Prof. Giovanni Traverso’s lab at MIT in Cambridge, MA.

Congratulations Anurag and Troy!

The CDI Lab is pleased to welcome three new graduate students, Corey Parrott, Lee Alacoque, and Bello Waheed Babatunde.  Corey and Lee will be starting their PhDs in August, and Waheed will begin his master’s degree.

Corey joins us from Lockheed Martin Corporation, where he performed stress analysis of aircraft structures.  Prior to working at Lockheed, Corey attended Clemson University in Clemson, South Carolina, where he completed his master’s degree with a concentration in structural mechanics.  Lee joins us from Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University in Daytona Beach, Florida, where he recently completed his master’s degree, which focused on optimization of 3D cellular structures.

Waheed joins us from the University of Lagos in Nigeria, where he completed his bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering.

We look forward to welcoming them to campus next month, and we wish all three of them the best of luck!

Prof. Kai James was selected as one of ix speakers in the Virtual Summer Seminar Series hosted by the US Association for Computational Mechanics.  Prof. James presented the CDI Lab’s latest research on topology optimization of self-actuating shape-memory polymer mechanisms.  The full presentation can be viewed here.

Mean flow characteristics around a flexible airfoil with optimized internal topology

CDI Lab PhD Student, Prateek Ranjan, presented his latest paper titled “Mission-Adaptive Lifting System Design using Integrated Multidisciplinary Topology Optimization” at the 2020 AIAA SciTech Forum on June 16th.  The paper discussed a coupled aero-structural optimization framework for the design of a mission adaptive airfoil.  This year’s forum was moved to an online virtual format due to the ongoing restrictions imposed by the Covid-19 pandemic.  However, the talks were generally well-attended and featured plenty of audience questions and feedback.

Great job Prateek!

Kai A. James, assistant professor in the Department of Aerospace Engineering at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, has been named the inaugural Scott White Aerospace Engineering Faculty Fellow. This appointment provides faculty support for an individual who conducts research in materials, a field for which its namesake, Professor Scott White, was globally recognized.

James commented, “This is an immense honor considering Scott’s prolific accomplishments as a researcher, and his positive impact on me personally as a cherished mentor during my first years with the department.”

James joined the faculty in the Dept. of AE in 2015.  His primary area of research is in developing computer algorithms to aid in the design of complex mechanical systems.  In 2018, James received the National Science Foundation’s Faculty Early Career Development (CAREER) Award. He is also using science to attract more underserved students to STEM.

Scott White passed away in 2018 at the age of 55. For information about how you can support the department, contact Tim Cochrane.

Article originally posted at https://aerospace.illinois.edu/ on March 26, 2020

The research of Prof. Kai James and former University of Illinois Master’s student Yeshern Maharaj is featured in a new article on popluarmechanics.com.  Check it out here!

Prof. Kai James is part of a team of 16 researchers from across the US that has been awarded a six million dollar grant as part of NASA’s University Leadership Initiative. The team, led by Prof. Phil Ansell, also from the university of Illinois, will investigate the design of a novel electric aircraft fueled by cryogenic liquid hydrogen.  This effort seeks to advance in new paradigm in aviation, which will allow us to significantly reduce our reliance on hydrocarbon fuels and decrease the industry’s carbon footprint.

Additional details of the project can be found here.

The CDI Lab is pleased to welcome two new students, Ghanendra Das and Patrick Kelley, both of whom will join the group as master’s students this fall.

Ghanendra joins us from Safran Aerospace India, where he worked as a repair, design and stress engineer focusing on aircraft landing gear.  Prior to this, he attended The Nitte Meenakshi Institute of Technology in Bangalore, India, where he completed his bachelor’s degree in aeronautical engineering in 2017.  Ghanendra’s research will focus on aerostructural design of hybrid electric aircraft.

Patrick joins us from Lake Superior State University, where he completed his bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering in May, 2019.  Patrick’s research will investigate computational synthesis of structures and mechanisms for space applications.

We look forward to working with them, and we wish them both the best of luck!