Faculty
Dr. Pradeep Sharma
Dean of the Cullen College of EngineeringHugh Roy and Lillie Cranz Cullen Distinguished University Professor
Office Location N227 Engineering Building 1
Phone 713-743-4502
Fax 713-743-4503
Email psharma [at] uh.edu
Website Dr. Pradeep Sharma’s Group
Curriculum Vitae
Education
Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering, University of Maryland, College Park, August 2000
M.S. in Mechanical Engineering, University of Maryland at College Park, 2000
Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering, M.S. University of Baroda, India, 1990–1994
Professional Experience
Dean of Cullen College of Engineering, University of Houston, TX, 2024–Present
M.D. Anderson Professor and Department Chair, Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of Houston, TX, 2012–Present
Bill Cook Endowed Associate Professor, Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of Houston, TX, 2008–2011
Bill Cook Endowed Assistant Professor, Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of Houston, TX, 2005–2008
Assistant Professor, Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of Houston, TX, January 2004–2008
Research Scientist, General Electric Corp. R&D, Schenectady, NY, September 2000–October 2003
Professional and Scientific Affiliations
Chartered Physicist (Ch.Phy.), Institute of Physics, London, UK, 2003
Professional Engineer (P.E.), Registered in the State of Texas, since 2016
Board Member, Society of Engineering Science: 2012-2016
President, Society of Engineering Science: 2015
Track Chair, ASME Annual IMECE Conference: 2015
Member of the Executive Committee, Applied Mechanics Division, ASME: 2013-2018
Chair, Executive Committee, Applied Mechanics Division, ASME: 2018
Fundraiser and Establishment of the Eshelby Mechanics Award for Young Faculty: 2012
Founding Editor, iMechanica Journal Club: 2007
Chief Editor, ASME Journal of Applied Mechanics: 2022-present
Associate Editor, Journal of the Mechanics and Physics of Solids
Associate Editor, Mathematics and Mechanics of Solids
Past Associate Editor, Transactions of the ASME—Journal of Engineering Materials and Technology
Past Associate Editor, Journal of Theoretical and Computational Nanoscience
Past Associate Editor, Transactions of the ASME—Journal of Applied Mechanics
Editorial Board Member, International Journal of Applied Mechanics
Courses Taught
Dynamics
Continuum Mechanics 1
Continuum Mechanics 2
Methods of Applied Mathematics 1
Methods of Applied Mathematics 2
Research Interests
- Solid Mechanics
Study of the behavior of solid materials under various forces and conditions. - Theoretical and Computational Materials Science
Exploration of material properties and behavior using theoretical models and computational methods. - Multifunctional Materials
Investigation of materials that possess multiple properties or functions, such as shape memory alloys. - Flexoelectricity
Research on the coupling between mechanical deformation and electric polarization in materials. - Mechanics and Physics of Soft Matter
Analysis of materials with flexible, deformable properties, including polymers and gels. - Mechanics and Physics of Cells
Study of the mechanical properties and behavior of biological cells. - Atomistic Simulations
Use of computational techniques to model and simulate materials at the atomic level. - Homogenization
Method for deriving macroscopic material properties from microscopic structures. - Mechanical Behavior of Materials
Examination of how materials respond to mechanical forces, including stress-strain relationships and failure mechanisms. - Data Sciences and Machine Learning
Application of data-driven approaches and algorithms to analyze and predict material behavior. - Damage and Failure Prediction of Materials
Techniques for predicting and understanding the mechanisms of material degradation and failure.
Engineering Applications
Where ever materials are used...
Awards & Honors
ONR Young Investigator Award, 2005
Bill D. Cook Faculty Endowed Chair, 2005
Texas Space Grants Consortium New Investigators Program Award, 2005
University of Houston, Excellence in Research and Scholarship Award, Assistant Professor Level, 2006
University of Houston, Cullen College of Engineering Junior Faculty Award, 2007
Thomas J.R. Hughes ASME Young Investigator Award [awarded annually by the ASME to a mechanician under 40], 2009; Citation: “For outstanding contributions to understanding size-effects of coupled mechanical and physical phenomena in materials”.
Faculty of the Year award by local ASME student chapter—2010
University of Houston, Excellence in Research and Scholarship Award, Associate Professor Level, 2011
Distinguished M.D Anderson Professorship, 2012
Fulbright Fellowship, 2013
ASME Fellow, 2013
University of Houston Teaching Award, 2013
ASME Melville Medal, 2015
James R. Rice Medal from the Society of Engineering Science, 2019
Charles Russ Richards Medal (joint award of Pi Tau Sigma and ASME), 2019
The Guggenheim Fellowship, for exceptional scholarship or creativity, 2020
Elected, U.S. National Academy of Engineering, 2022
The Engineering Science Medal, Society of Engineering Science, 2023
The Cozzarelli Prize, National Academy of Science, 2024
Daniel Drucker Medal, American Society of Mechanical Engineers, 2024
Books / Book Chapters
- K. Mozaffari, S. Yang, P. Sharma (Invited)
“Surface Energy and Nanoscale Mechanics”
In Handbook of Materials Modeling, Andreoni W. and Yip S. (eds.), 1-26, 2019
- K. Mozaffari, S. Yang, P. Sharma (Invited)
- Q. Deng, L. Liu, P. Sharma (Invited)
“A Continuum Theory of Flexoelectricity”
In Flexoelectricity in Solids: From Theory to Applications, A.K. Tagantsev and P.V. Yudin (eds.), Chapter 3, 2017
- Q. Deng, L. Liu, P. Sharma (Invited)
- R. Maranganti, P. Sharma (Invited)
“A Review of Strain Field Calculations in Embedded Quantum Dots and Wires”
In Handbook of Theoretical and Computational Nanotechnology, Michael Reith and Wolfram Schommers (eds.), Chapter 118, 2006
- R. Maranganti, P. Sharma (Invited)
Papers
- K. Mozaffari, F. Ahmadpoor, Q. Deng, P. Sharma, “A minimal physics-based model for musical perception”, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 5, e2216146120, 2023 (download pdf)
- S. Yang, P. Sharma, “A Tutorial on the Stability and Bifurcation Analysis of the Electromechanical Behaviour of Soft Materials”, Applied Mechanics Reviews, 044801-1, 2023 (download pdf)
- A.H. Rahmati, R. Jia, K. Tan, X. Zhao, Q. Deng, L. Liu, P. Sharma, “Theory of hard magnetic soft materials to create magnetoelectricity”, Journal of the Mechanics and Physics of Solids, 171, 2023 (download pdf)
- M. Torbati, K. Mozaffari, L. Liu, P. Sharma, “Coupling of mechanical deformation and electromagnetic fields in biological cells”, Reviews of modern physics, 94(2), 025003(1-61), 2022 (download pdf)
- M. Grasinger, K. Mozaffari, P. Sharma, “Flexoelectricity in soft elastomers and the molecular mechanisms underpinning the design and emergence of giant flexoelectricity”, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 118 (21) , 2021 (download pdf) (supplementary pdf)