Dr. Hussein Nassar

Assistant Professor

Office Location N234 Engineering Building 1

Phone 713-743-4500

Email hnassar [at] central.uh.edu

Education

PhD, Université Paris-Est (Gustave Eiffel)

MScE, École des Mines (Paris Sciences et Lettres)

BSc, Université Paris VI (Jussieu)

Professional Experience

Assistant Professor, Department of Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering, University of Houston

Senior Visiting Scholar, École Polytechnique, France

Assistant Professor, Department of Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering, University of Missouri

Postdoctoral Fellow, Laboratoires Navier & CERMICS, École des Ponts – ParisTech

Courses Taught

MECE 5397/6397 Aerospace Structures

Research Interests

Dr. Nassar’s research investigates theoretical models of continuum mechanics applicable to architected solids and compliant shells, emphasizing interactions between geometry and elasticity in static and dynamic regimes. Applications include foldable/deployable structures and exceptional wave phenomena in heterogeneous media. His research has been supported by the NSF and the Army Research Office; he is a recipient of the NSF CAREER Award.

Awards & Honors

ASME IMECE Rising Stars of Mechanical Engineering, 2024

NSF CAREER Award, 2021

Selected Publications

Nassar (2025), “How periodic surfaces bend,” Philosophical Transactions A.
Reddy, Karami & Nassar (2024), “Frustration propagation in tubular foldable mechanisms,” Frontiers in Physics.
Karami, Reddy & Nassar (2024), “Curved-crease origami for morphing metamaterials,” Physical Review Letters.
Nassar et al. (2020), “Nonreciprocity in acoustic and elastic materials,” Nature Reviews Materials.