Pranjal Nautiyal earned his bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering in 2015 from the Indian Institute of Information Technology and his doctorate in materials science and engineering in 2020 from Florida International University (FIU). He is currently a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Pennsylvania, where his research focuses on understanding the role of mechanical forces in driving chemical reactions at sliding and rolling interfaces. Recently at UPenn, he taught lectures on contact mechanics and lubrication for a graduate-level course on nanotribology. As a PhD student, he helped develop a 14-week invited summer course on thermal spray techniques, the material of which is now part of a full semester course at FIU. He is the author of 38 peer-reviewed journal articles, holds five patents, has published one book about in situ mechanical characterization, and is the recipient of the 2020 Nanomaterials and Energy Prize from the Institute of Civil Engineers. Nautiyal hopes to establish an independent research program focused on electric vehicle tribology and introduce new courses covering mechanics, materials, manufacturing, and surface science to tackle emerging engineering challenges. As a professor, he aims to be impactful in creating a culture of inclusion that welcomes students and scholars with diverse backgrounds and viewpoints and encourages them to be independent and enterprising.

Research Interests

Nanomaterials, Nanomechanics, Nanotribology, Mechanochemistry