People
Dr. Michael D. Sangid, Director
Michael D. Sangid received his B.S. (2002), M.S. (2005), PhD (2010) in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (UIUC). After his Master’s degree, Dr. Sangid spent two years working in Indianapolis, IN for Rolls-Royce Corporation. Dr. Sangid is a professor at Purdue University in the School of Aeronautics and Astronautics with a courtesy appointment in Materials Engineering, where he continues his work on building computational materials models for failure of structural materials with experimental validation efforts focused at characterization of the stress/strain evolution at the microstructural scale during in situ loading. He is a recipient of the ASME Orr, TMS Early Career Faculty Fellow, NSF CAREER, and the AFOSR, ONR, and DARPA Young Investigator/Faculty Awards. He is currently serving as an editor of the International Journal of Fatigue. Dr. Sangid has started and served as the inaugural Executive Director of the Hypersonics Advanced Manufacturing Technology Center, which is the first contract of the Purdue Applied Research Institute. Dr. Sangid is also the co-director of Defense Innovation, which is a Purdue Engineering Initiative.
Research and Post Doctoral Associates
Krzysztof Stopka
Krzysztof (Kris) Stopka emigrated from southern Poland to the United States with his family in 1998. He received his Bachelor of Science degree in Mechanical Engineering from the Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology in November of 2015 with a minor in Computational Science and an Aerospace Engineering concentration. During his undergraduate studies, Kris accumulated two years of internship experience at innovative companies such as GE Aviation, Tesla Motors, and SpaceX. He defended his PhD dissertation entitled "Integrated Computational Materials Engineering Workflows for Microstructure-Sensitive Fatigue of Advanced Alloys" in March 2021 under the advisement of Dr. David L. McDowell at the Georgia Institute of Technology before joining Dr. Michael D. Sangid’s research group in the summer of 2021. Kris’ research interests are at the interface of materials science, computational mechanics, crystal plasticity, fatigue and fracture, high-energy x-ray diffraction microscopy, and data science and analytics workflows. Outside of research, Kris is passionate about mentorship and personal development, especially for younger students just getting started in their college/academic careers. His hobbies include fitness, reading, and listening to podcasts, and his long-term goal is to pursue a career in academia.
Lucas Robinson
Luke Robinson is from Westminster, Colorado. He received his B.S. (2017) in Materials Engineering with a minor in Physics, and his PhD in Materials Engineering (2023) from Purdue University. Luke defended his PhD thesis entitled “Interfacial Transitions and Microstructure Evolution of Materials” in March 2023 under the guidance of Prof. Edwin García at Purdue University. His research focused on developing phase field models and variational frameworks to describe interfacial phase transitions and microstructure evolution in metallic and ionic solids for electrochemical and microelectronic applications. After completing his PhD, he spent two years as a Research Engineer with the Hypersonics Advanced Manufacturing Technology Center. There, he led development of novel refractory alloys for hypersonic and space applications. He joined Dr. Sangid’s group as a Research Associate in August 2024, with research interests focused on bridging ground-up materials design, computational thermodynamics, and reliable production via additive manufacturing techniques. Outside of work, Luke’s hobbies include lifting weights, backpacking, and reading.
Vasilis Karamitros
Vasilis is a research-oriented Materials Engineer with a Diploma (joint BEng & MEng degree) from the National Technical University of Athens (NTUA), graduating with honors (summa cum laude) in July 2018. For his master’s thesis entitled "Effect of Initial Microstructure on Phase Transformations of Low Alloyed Steel During Ultrafast Thermal Treatment" he developed diffusion models to understand the microstructure evolution in CrMo steels during ultrafast thermal cycles.
Vasilis defended his PhD thesis entitled "Modelling of Microstructure Sensitive Crack Growth in Ni Single Crystals" in July 2022 under the guidance of Prof. Fionn P.E. Dunne and Dr. Duncan W. MacLachlan at Imperial College London. His research focused on the prediction of the fatigue life in Ni single crystals using a physics-based methodology to study the effect of the local microstructure on the crack growth paths and rates.
Following his PhD, Vasilis started as a Postdoctoral Research Associate at Imperial College London, specializing in 3D crack initiation in alpha-beta Ti-6Al-4V microstructures during dwell fatigue, supported by Rolls-Royce plc. He left his post in February 2023 to serve as a Military Engineer in the Hellenic Army, focusing on systems engineering.
Beyond his academic pursuits, Vasilis enjoys exploring interests in music, literature, and history.
Current PhD Students
Jose Javier Solano
Javi Solano is from The Woodlands, Texas. He graduated from the University of Houston in 2021 with his Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering with a minor in Mathematics. Throughout his undergraduate studies Javi served as an instructor for engineering education programs in Houston-area elementary schools and at the University of Houston. In 2021 he was awarded the Barry Goldwater Scholarship for excellence in engineering education. Javi first began his research career at Purdue University in the summer of 2019, continuing in his role for 3 consecutive summers until enrolling in the graduate school in Spring 2022. In his previous work he documented and categorized crack evolution in a carbon fiber epoxy composite using synchrotron X-ray tomography at Argonne National Lab. This work has fueled his co-authorship on two scientific articles. Javi is interested in the micromechanical response of aerospace materials, specifically the computational modeling and prediction of defects and their effects on crack evolution. Outside the lab Javi’s hobbies include lifting weights, cheering for the Green Bay Packers, and learning to play the piano.
Leonidas Zisis
Leonidas comes from a small island in Greece. He received his Diploma in Mechanical Engineering from the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, where he gained knowledge in structures, thermodynamics, and machine learning. Here, he defended his thesis “Machine Learning using R” where he utilized regression models and clustering algorithms to predict prices and categorize cars, respectively. During his Masters of Science in Mechanical Engineering at the Northeastern University, he found his interest in mechanics and computer-aided simulation. Interested in aerospace technology, he joined the AerospaceNU club, where he collaborated with other students to design rocket parts to participate in competitions. Additionally, he landed a CO-OP at Festo, where he designed various custom products. Finally, he got admitted to the School of Aeronautics & Astronautics Engineering at Purdue University in August 2021 as a Ph.D. student to join Prof. Michael Sangid’s group. His work will focus on integrating synchrotron data and material modeling to investigate the mechanical behavior of deformation and failure of materials. In the free time, he likes playing aircraft simulation games, going hiking, watching movies, and of course, hanging out with friends.
Sai Harshit Gaddam
Harshit has completed his dual degree ( 4 year Bachelors + 1 year Masters ) from the Aerospace Engineering department, IIT Kharagpur in the year 2022. During his bachelor's project he has worked on studying the stress analysis of 3D printed parts using the concepts of Representative Volume Elements, Homogenization. He was also awarded the ARTPARK scholarship for conducting a research project related to the applications of Machine learning and Artificial intelligence in engineering during his masters thesis. His research in this group will broadly focus on the applications of crystal plasticity finite element simulations to study the fatigue life of additively manufactured materials. He is a sports enthusiast and in his free time loves playing outdoor sports.
Andrew Roginski
Andrew Roginski is from Lafayette, IN. He completed his dual-degree program between Wabash College (Crawfordsville, IN) and Purdue University in 2019 with a B.A. in Mathematics and B.S. in Mechanical Engineering, followed by a M.S. in Aerospace and Aeronautical Engineering in 2022. During Andrew’s undergraduate studies at Purdue, he developed a passion for research through a few undergraduate research opportunities, including Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF).
In his graduate studies and Ph.D. work, Andrew’s research focuses on the physics and metallurgical description of the high strain-rate behavior of metallic alloys. He has worked on many projects including researching rate effects and loading configurations of different superalloys, aerospace alloys, steels, and aluminum alloys. He has also utilized some of the diagnostic tools offered by the Advanced Photon Source (APS) at Argonne National Laboratories. Andrew’s thesis work will involve researching the high strain-rate behavior of high-entropy alloys (HEAs).
In his spare time, Andrew enjoys playing sports and being active. He also enjoys video games, hiking, blacksmithing/forging, and spending time with friends/family.
Kyle Jung
Kyle grew up in Belmont, CA. He graduated from UC Davis in Spring 2022 and received his B.S. with a double major in Mechanical Engineering and Aerospace Science and Engineering. He began his research career at UC Davis's Advanced Composites Research and Engineering Science (ACRES) Lab with Dr. Valeria La Saponara, where he gained an interest in both computational and experimental research while he characterized composites and bio-derived materials. In a SULI Summer internship at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, Kyle performed hydrodynamic and electrochemical simulations to model metallic coating methods for 3D printed polymers and validated them with experimental results. In Fall 2022, Kyle joined Purdue’s School of Aeronautics and Astronautics to pursue a PhD. His research in the ACME Lab will focus on characterizing and modeling additive manufactured aerospace alloys to better understand their defects and failure mechanics. Outside the lab, Kyle enjoys playing music on the guitar, ukulele, drums, singing, beatboxing, brewing coffee, and watching anime.
Sean Skweres
Sean grew up in Magnolia, Texas near Houston. Being so close to the Johnson Space Center, he quickly became fascinated with space and aerodynamics. After graduating high school, he attended Colorado School of Mines, where he received a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering. The curriculum at Mines inspired him to combine his passions of aerospace and mechanical concepts for his PhD. Sean first realized his passion for the research process when he installed a data acquisition system that monitored critical parameters on a Tunnel Boring Machine in Seattle, Washington. Later on, he joined the Mines Optical Diagnostics for Energy Systems (MODES) research lab where he focused on modelling and simulating ionic diffusion in battery electrolytes. In his free time, Sean enjoys playing tennis, hiking, biking, hunting, and fishing. He also plays percussion and drum set. This past summer before arriving at Purdue, he completed a 3-day, 20 mile backpacking trip in the Colorado wilderness. Sean will surely miss playing frisbee and tug of war with his dogs back in Colorado, but looks forward to the endless opportunities that await in Indiana.
Luca Loiodice
Luca grew up in Corato, in the southern Italian region of Apulia, and received his bachelor’s degree in Aerospace Engineering from Politecnico di Torino, Italy in July 2023.
During his undergraduate studies, he covered the Lead role for the Desing & Additive Manufacturing division of PoliTo Rocket Team. Here he worked on the mechanical design and 3D printing of rocket components, contributing to the successful participation in Spaceport America Cup 2023, which saw the team winning the Dr. Gil Moore Award for Innovation. Luca finally worked on his bachelor’s thesis on the design, topology optimization, and 3D printing of structural flanges of the team rocket, supervised by Prof. Enrico Zappino and Alfonso Pagani.
Luca enrolled in the School of Aeronautics and Astronautics at Purdue and joined Prof. Michael Sangid’s ACME2 group in Fall 2023 as a PhD student. His research interests lie in material modeling for additive manufacturing, and he is currently focusing on assessing the influence of pore defects on the fatigue behavior of additively manufactured materials.
Outside the lab, Luca is very passionate about aviation and space exploration, enjoys traveling, hiking, reading, and watching tv shows, and looks forward to all the possibilities this new chapter in the United States will offer.
Marco Zambolin
Marco comes from Ivrea, a small town in the northern-east part of Italy. He completed an undergraduate program in Aerospace Engineering at the Delft University of Technology in the Netherlands, where he learned the basics of structural analysis and space engineering. During his time there, he worked as a structural engineer in an ESA-funded team that had the focus on building an affordable bio-inspired Mars rover using new structural solutions and space technologies. Meanwhile, he also completed a minor program that focused on AI technologies, where he learned how to develop machine learning tools that can be used to solve more complex engineering problems. After receiving his bachelor’s degree, he decided to move to Purdue to pursue a Ph.D. in aerospace structures. His research in this group will focus on the use of machine learning techniques to estimate the lifetime of materials used in additive manufacturing under fatigue loads. Marco’s hobbies are playing basketball, reading books, and watching sports with friends.
Current Masters Students
Nitilasksh Prasad
Niti grew up in Canberra, Australia before attending the Australian Defence Force Academy, also in Canberra. On completion of his military training and Undergraduate Degree in Aeronautical Engineering, Niti posted to Newcastle, NSW where he worked with the F/A-18 Classic Hornets as a Professional Development and Training Engineer. In 2017, Niti posted to East Sale, Victoria where he worked in the structures section for the PC-9/A training aircraft. In 2019, he was promoted to team OIC where he oversaw the disposal of the platform. In 2020, Niti was posted to the KC-30A Air-to-Air Refuelling Tanker Squadron in Brisbane. With the KC-30A he deployed to the Middle East and participated on Ex Cope North 2021 in Guam. In 2022, Niti was posted to Headquarters 86 Wing where he supported the Continuing Airworthiness Manager for the KC-30A, C-17A, BBJ and the Falcon F7X. In parallel with his Air Force career, Niti has completed a master’s in project management. Niti has a passion for aviation, in particular aircraft structures. Niti hopes to further develop his understanding of hypersonic aircraft and space aircraft from a structural perspective – specifically the high temperature properties of materials. Niti is engaged to Lydia Downe and they have a greyhound named Bruno. Outside of his employment and academia, Niti is interested in hiking, camping, live music, Australian Rules Football and Boxing.
Taylor Hodes
Taylor Hodes is from Frisco, Texas. She graduated from the University of Kansas in December of 2022 with a B.S. in Aerospace Engineering and minors in mathematics and economics. At KU she was a member of Alpha Delta Pi sorority and the AIAA student branch where she held many leadership positions. She worked as a structural engineering Co-Op in the Summer/Fall of 2020 at L3Harris in Greenville, TX and as a structural engineering intern/aide from the Summer of 2021 through the Summer of 2022 at Sierra Nevada Corporation in Denver, CO. At her internships she developed an interest in aircraft D&DT work and determining new inspection intervals for modified airframes. Outside of the lab Taylor enjoys hiking, reading, and watching movies.
Gaurav Gandhi
Gaurav grew up in Sydney, Australia, and attended the Australian Defence Force Academy (ADFA) after high school. At ADFA he completed military training in conjunction with a Bachelor of Engineering (Honours) (Aeronautical) at the University of New South Wales. After a few postings on various Royal Australian Air Force platforms, he commenced a posting at the Defence Aviation Safety Authority (DASA), Australia's military aviation authority, in the Aircraft Structural Integrity (ASI) section. In conjunction with his working career, Gaurav has been undertaking a Masters in Project Management. Upon graduating from Purdue, he will be returning to his role at DASA. Outside of work and study, Gaurav's personal interests include many sports, fitness and cooking.
Chase Larsen
Chase Larsen is from Lake Zurich, Illinois. He graduated with a B.S. in aeronautical and astronautical engineering in 2023 from Purdue University. During his undergraduate degree he started working with the lab, completing high temperature flexure testing of a variety of composites and supporting ceramic additive manufacturing. During this time, he completed aero-thermal systems engineering internships with Collins Aerospace focusing on using CFD simulations to support the design and development of an additively manufactured high temperature bleed air heat exchanger for the F-35 engine redesign. These experiences led to his interest in combing simulations, real world testing, and additive manufacturing for high temperature aerospace applications. Currently Chase is completing a M.S. in aeronautical and astronautical engineering working with Purdue Applied Research Institutes’ Hypersonics Advanced Manufacturing Technology Center on the development and testing of joined high temperature materials. Outside of the lab he enjoys tennis, ping pong, and traveling with friends.
Joel Davis
Joel is from Indianapolis, IN. He graduated from Purdue Univeristy in 2013 with a B.S. in Materials Engineering. Since graduating he has worked as a materials engineer for Rolls-Royce Corporation. While working as a failure investigator he was introduced to the dwell fatigue suspetibilitiy of titanium alloys and the complexities of texture characterization. Over a three year period he developed the electorn backscatter diffraction (EBSD) capability and developed polarized light methods to charactarize the texture of titanium components within the Rolls-Royce Indianapolis materials laboratory. Joel returned to the Purdue University school of Materials Science and Engineering to pursue a Masters degree while working in the fall of 2023. His research focuses on the evolution of dwell fatigue performance in titanium alloys in response to exposure to elevated temperatures.Outside of work, Joel enjoys playing with his kids, road biking, running, and doing a host of DIY projects around the house.
James Carr
James was born in Leeds, England but grew up in Perth, Western Australia. James joined the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) through the Australian Defence Force Academy (ADFA) in 2015 where he completed his military training as well as a Bachelor of Engineering (Honours) (Aeronautical) at the University of New South Wales. Following his time at ADFA, James was posted to RAAF Base Edinburgh in South Australia where he commenced a number of posting within the RAAF’s Maritime Surveillance Group, notably including a posting to Number 11 Squadron which maintain and operate the RAAFs P-8A Poseidon Fleet. In 2024, James was selected to commence a posting at the Defence Aviation Safety Authority (DASA), Australia's military aviation authority, in the Aircraft Structural Integrity (ASI) section. James has also commenced a Masters in Project Management with UNSW and upon graduating from Purdue, he will be returning to his role at DASA. James married his wife, Emily, in 2022 and together they enjoy a range of sports as well as travel and cooking.
Sharmila Nimbkar
Sharmila Nimbkar was born and raised in Phoenix, AZ. In Spring of 2024, she received her bachelor’s in mechanical engineering at Arizona State University, where she also completed an undergraduate thesis researching the effects of local length scales on the estimation of void fraction distribution from x-ray tomography of spall damage in metallic samples. Now, her research interests lie at the intersection of material science, mechanical engineering, and aerospace.
Her internships have ranged at a variety of aerospace companies including Blue Origin, NASA Katherine Johnson, and Collins Aerospace. These experiences have fostered an understanding of finite element analysis, Python, engineering certification, and engineering change review. Outside of school, Sharmila enjoys bouldering, running, volleyball, and reading.
Current Undergraduate Students
Glenn Brock
Glenn Brock is a dedicated individual with a strong academic background and diverse work experience. Before transferring to Purdue for Aerospace Engineering, he started his education career at Indiana State University with a major in Physics and a minor in Computer Science. There, he was actively involved in the Society of Physics Students Club and contributed to a project on the Holographic Model of Deconfinement in Quark Matter. Currently serving in the Air National Guard as a Staff Sergeant and Intelligence Analyst, Glenn excels in conducting comprehensive research and analysis of intelligence sources. Also, his experience includes working as a Test Engineer Intern at ZF Group, where he implemented process improvement measures for the manufacturing of electrical test equipment. Some of his hobbies include working out, playing basketball, and playing video games.
Jack Devine
Jack is an undergraduate student from Scotch Plains, New Jersey, majoring in Aeronautical and Astronautical Engineering with a concentration in Structures at Purdue. Beyond his studies in the ACME lab, Jack is an active member of Purdue Space Program’s Spaceport America team where he contributes to the design and fabrication of rocket hardware for the annual Spaceport America Cup. Jack also participated in the Purdue Grand Prix as part of the Shrevehart Racing Team, handling engineering and pit crew responsibilities for their go-kart. Additionally, he led the design efforts for a wind tunnel exhibit developed by the EPICS Speedway team for the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Museum. His interests outside academia include photography, radio scanning, and flight simulation.
Lucas Lovnander
Lucas grew up in Plano, Texas, and is currently working towards his B.S. in Aeronautical and Astronautical Engineering with a specialization in propulsion. During his undergraduate studies, he researched the implementation of green hydrogen in the mining industry. In August 2023, he traveled to Peru to collaborate with local students on methods to produce green hydrogen for use in Peruvian mines. He has now shifted focus and joined the group to study additive manufacturing. Outside of research, Lucas is an active member of the propulsion team at Purdue Orbital, a student-led rocketry group, where he contributes to the development of a student-made solid rocket motor. Lucas has a passion for spacecraft and aims to deepen his understanding of additive manufacturing processes and their future role in developing advanced propulsion systems. His personal interests include hiking, snowboarding, backpacking, music, and working out.
Openings
There are openings in the lab for motivated and hard-working individuals who are interested in a combination of materials science, solid mechanics, and manufacturing. Interested individuals should provide their CV and a statement indicating their areas of interest to Dr. Sangid (msangid@purdue.edu).