Welcome to the Structural Performance & Fluid-Structure Interaction (SP-I) LAB!

In SP-I Lab, we leverage multiphysics principles to resolve fundamental engineering problems spanning structural and fluid domains. Our research goal is to develop and investigate innovative structural  and energy systems through multi-scale experimentation and computational methods.

Our planet has a finite number of resources and a growing population that overloads our aging infrastructure and energy resources. These factors create the need for advanced long-lasting technologies, onshore and offshore, that deliver superior strengths, harvest energy, and minimize repair-replacement cycles. Addressing these contemporary challenges necessitates an integrated, multidisciplinary strategy. New structural systems in onshore and offshore environments are exposed to extreme loads driven by natural hazards and other processes, which require a thorough understanding of fluid-structure interaction (FSI) phenomena and necessitate integrity and reliability in performance. 

Fluid-structure interaction effects are omnipresent in engineering. The constitutive behavior of structural concrete technologies, such as UHPC (among other fiber-reinforced materials), is dictated by the fiber-matrix interactions during casting, which profoundly influence fiber alignment. Onshore and offshore structures and ecosystems interact with wind and wave flows, storm surge and flooding. Marine energy systems harvest the natural energy from moving water to produce power. By integrating principles of fluid and structural mechanics, SP-I’s multiphysics vision is to bridge knowledge gaps and deliver comprehensive, mechanics-based solutions.

A pivotal outcome of our research is the training of a new generation of engineers uniquely equipped to re-conceptualize engineering problems by integrating multiphysics effects across fluid and solid phase states.

Undergraduate and graduate students in our research group are exposed to both structural laboratory testing, computational modeling of the experiments, and fluid-structure interaction problems. Visit our current and past graduate students and undergraduate assistants. Active research themes can be found here. Prospective PhD students are encouraged to review the Student Positions page.