Juan Camilo Velasquez earned his bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering in 2020 from Universidad EAFIT, Colombia. Currently, he is a PhD student in mechanical engineering at the University of Texas at San Antonio (UTSA), where he is funded through a Department of Defense project focused on enhancing the capabilities of sensor systems used for nondestructive testing and structural health monitoring. His work centers around the development of a robust gradient-based optimization framework for systems whose behavior resembles a highly non-linear dynamical response. He aspires to contribute to the field of design, analysis, and testing of hierarchical multifunctional materials, with applications mainly on the microscale. His approach will be equal parts computational and experimental components. At UTSA, he has volunteered at the Annual Technical Meeting of the Society of Engineering Science and at the STEM Day for Educators, in which he introduced computational topics to high school teachers from minority-serving institutions. As a professor, Velasquez hopes to: teach a mixed-level course on design, analysis, and fabrication of materials with exceptional properties; promote an inclusive research task force that does not discriminate by race, religion, national origin, disability, or gender; use technological tools that enhance the learning experience; and encourage and promote female access to the STEM fields.

Research Interests

Sensor Placement Optimization for Structural Health Monitoring