Faculty

James Chagdes, Director
James Chagdes, as director of the center, will assist in proposal development to external agencies, and is an expert in biomechanics as well as haptics.

Jason Berberich
Assistant Professor of Chemical and Paper Engineering, Miami University, 2012 - present
Institute Scientist, McGowan Institute of Regenerative Medicine, Univ. of Pittsburgh, 2002- 2003
Research Associate, Department of Chemical and Petroleum Engineering, Univ. of Pittsburgh, 2001-2002

Olga Brezhneva
Associate Professor
Department of Mathematics
Ph.D., Russian Academy of Sciences

Bo Brinkman
Ph.D. in Computer Science, Princeton University, 2004
Bachelor of Science in Computer Science, University of Washington, 1995-1999

Giancarlo Corti
Giancarlo is a mechanical engineer with a solid track record in product manufacturing and process development, design and construction of chemical vapor deposition (CVD), atomic layer deposition (ALD), and physical vapor deposition (PVD) systems, including their control and automation. My research interests and present work include nanotechnology and development of equipment, prototypes, procedures and products to transfer scientific breakthroughs into industrial applications. I have conducted research in areas of micro and nano electromechanical systems (MEMS, NEMS), sensors, continuous flow reactors, composite material and hydrogen storage by a hierarchical deposition and engineering of nanomaterials to tailor them for specific applications. I also have over 10 years of experience teaching undergraduate and graduate students in both class and laboratory environments.

Lei Kerr
Professor, Miami University, 2014-present
Associate Professor, Miami University, 2010-2014
Assistant Professor, Miami University, 2004 - 2010
Graduate Research Internship, National Renewable Energy Lab, 2002
Graduate Research Assistant, University of Florida, 1998-2003

Khan Fazeel
For the past few years, I have largely been responsible for the undergraduate and graduate level courses in the area of materials science and engineering. The content of these courses is designed to instill an appreciation and understanding of the myriad applications of materials in our environment, ranging from rubber used in tires to advanced alloys in high temperature applications. The inclusion of lab based activities animates seemingly theoretical concepts and bridges the progression of knowledge into subsequent MME courses. Teaching these courses is particularly enjoyable because my research interests lie in the area of material property characterization, dealing specifically with how biocompatible polymers respond in prosthetic joints. I have also been the advisor to the SAE Baja team for several years. In addition to the competitive spirit which this competition engenders within the students, it also serves to create skills in experimentation and analyses using the various facilities of the EM Lab.

Jennifer Kinney
Jennifer M. Kinney, Ph.D., Interim Chair of the Department of Sociology and Gerontology, is a Professor of Gerontology and a Research Fellow at the Scripps Gerontology Center. Dr. Kinney is on the executive committee and chairs the Publications Committee of the Association for Gerontology in Higher Education (AGHE). She is also a board member of the Ohio Association of Gerontology and Education (OAGE). Dr. Kinney is co-chair of Miami's Summer Reading Program Committee. Her research focuses on technological and other interventions to help families care for their older relatives, quality of life for people with dementia, and the evaluation of arts-based interventions for individuals with dementia.

Jeong-Hoi Koo
Ph.D., Mechanical Engineering; Virginia Tech, 2003.
M.S., Mechanical Engineering, South Dakota State University, 1999.
B.Eng., Mechanical Engineering, Chungnam National University, Daejeon, Korea, 1998.

Vaskar Raychoudhury
Ph.D., Computer Science, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University. 2010
M.S. - Information Technology, IIT Kharagpur. 2006
B.S. - Information Technology, University of Kalyani. 2003

Justin Saul
Postdoctoral Training: University of Washington, Department of Bioengineering. September, 2005 – August, 2007.
Ph.D. - Biomedical Engineering, Case Western Reserve University. January, 2006.
B.S. - Chemical Engineering, Purdue University. May, 1999. With Honors.

Lokesh Saharan
Ph.D.: *Mechanical Engineering, *The University of Texas at Dallas, December 2017
Research Interests:
· Additive Manufacturing
· Biomechanics
· Soft Robotics
Smart Materials and Structures
Industry 4.0

Hamed Samandari
Dr. Samandari is a Visiting Assistant Professor at the Mechanical and Manufacturing Engineering department. Hamed’s vision is to advance modeling, monitoring, and identification techniques applicable to a wide range of dynamics systems with a special emphasize on biomedical applications as well as mechanical applications. His research activities cover topics including Bionic Systems and Medical Devices, Energy Systems, Structural Health Monitoring, Vehicle Dynamics, Composite Materials, and Micro and Nano scale electromechanical devices. Currently, he is working on a project collaborating with interdisciplinary teams from industry, academia, and healthcare to analyze and identify the key hemodynamic parameters in the end stage kidney patients. The findings from his research are crucial in accurate prediction of fluid balance in the patients, which can be used for (i) intervention and (ii) improve ultrafiltration through feedback control improving life expectancy of the patients.

Amit Shukla, Founder
Amit Shukla is an expert in nonlinear dynamics and his research interests are in the development and application of tools and methods for the design of medical devices, diagnostics and prognostics of human falls and trust in human-machine interface.

Kumar Singh
I enjoy teaching and working with the students. I love to play racquet sports (badminton and racquetball), so drag me to the court if you find me sitting idle in my office. My research focuses primarily on inverse eigenvalue problems in multidisciplinary applications, which emphasize design, analysis, and control of the engineering structures that are purely based upon available dynamic data and vibration spectrum. My current research interests are (a) Development of robust and optimal Aeroservoelastic (ASE) control for next generation aircraft and sensor craft design (supported by the U.S. Air Force Research Laboratory), (b) studying the influence of time delay in active vibration control, (c) design of active/passive control and structural modification for rotordynamic applications (industrial collaboration with SIEMENS, GE) and, (d) dynamic characterization and control design for viscoelastic and smart materials.

Leonard Smart
What happens when the perceptual information obtained does not support action or actions that the organism is familiar with? My research involves examining the consequences of disrupting the perception-action cycle on participants’ ability to successfully regulate their behavior. In particular, I am interested in how functional relationships between perception and action are regained (adaptation) and the cost of not being able to do so (motion sickness). My research bridges interests in motor control, perception, and Human Factors.

Jessica Sparks
Ph.D., Biomedical Engineering, The Ohio State University. 2007
M.S. - Anatomy, The Ohio State University. 2007
B.S. - Pre-Medicine and Philosophy, University of Notre Dame. 1999
Graduate Assistants

Jacob Veta
I have been a student at Miami University for four years, and have contributed to research projects in areas such as 3D printing, biomechanics, and aeroelastics. I am now a graduate student studying mechanical engineering as it applies to biomechanics. With a passion for design, my primary role is to advise students in completing the yearly Design Innovation Challenges.
vetaje@MiamiOH.edu