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Senthil S. Vel

Senthil S. Vel, Ph.D.

Associate Professor

Arthur O. Willey Professor and

Graduate Coordinator of
Mechanical Engineering



Office
214 Boardman Hall

Mailing Address
Senthil S. Vel
Department of Mechanical Engineering
5711 Boardman Hall, Room 214
University of Maine
Orono, ME 04469-5711

Telephone: 207-581-2777, Fax: 207-581-2379

Email: senthil.vel@maine.edu

Biographical Sketch

Senthil S. Vel received his bachelor's degree in Aerospace Engineering from the Indian Institute of Technology, Madras, in 1993. He earned a M.S. degree in Mechanical Engineering and a M.A. degree in Mathematics from the University of Pittsburgh. He joined the Engineering Science and Mechanics department at Virginia Tech in Fall 1996 and completed his doctorate in Fall 1998. He worked as a Post-doctoral Fellow at Virginia Tech for a year and a half before joining the University of Maine as an Assistant Professor in Fall 2000. He is currently an Associate Professor in the Department of Mechanical Engineering at UMaine.

Professor Vel's contributions to Solid Mechanics include the development of analytical solutions for laminated anisotropic thick plates, smart structures and functionally graded materials. He and his graduate students are currently working on the development of a methodology for the simultaneous optimization of topology and material composition of functionally graded structures using a multi-objective genetic algorithm that mimics the evolutionary principles and chromosomal processing in natural genetics to evolve superior designs. He is also interested in laminated composite materials and a class of smart structures that consist of piezoelectric sensors and actuators integrated with structural systems.

Research Interests

  • Numerical simulation and multi-objective optimization of functionally graded materials (FGMs).
  • Analysis of functionally graded plates and shells.
  • Theoretical analysis and numerical simulation of smart structures.
  • Three-dimensional analytical solutions for laminated composite beams and plates.
  • Genetic algorithms for structural optimization.

Honors and Awards

Junior Achievement Award, American Academy of Mechanics, 2005. The award is given once a year, to one post-graduate researcher, to recognize outstanding research during the first decade of their professional career.

Dean's Award of Excellence, College of Engineering, University of Maine, December 2004.

Award for Outstanding Accomplishments in Teaching by Young Faculty, College of Engineering, University of Maine, October 2003.

Dean's Award of Excellence, College of Engineering, University of Maine, December 2002.

Dean's list of outstanding instructors for 1999-2000, College of Engineering, Virginia Tech.

Listed in Who's Who Among America's Teachers, 9th edition, 2004-2005.

Listed in Who's Who in America, 60th Diamond Anniversary Edition, 2006.

Listed in Who's Who in Science and Engineering , 2006-2007.

Education

1998 Ph.D. in Engineering Mechanics
Department of Engineering Science and Mechanics
Virginia Tech (VPI & SU), Blacksburg, VA 24061
1996 M.A. in Mathematics
University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA 15260 
1996 M.S. in Mechanical Engineering
University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA 15260
1993 B.Tech in Aerospace Engineering
Indian Institute of Technology, Madras, India.

Professional History

9/2006 - present Associate Professor
Department of Mechanical Engineering
University of Maine, Orono, ME 04469
9/2000-8/2006 Assistant Professor
Department of Mechanical Engineering
University of Maine, Orono, ME 04469
1/1999-8/2000 Postdoctoral Research Associate
Department of Engineering Science and Mechanics
Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg, VA 24061
8/1996-12/1998 Graduate Research Assistant
Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg, VA 24061
8/1994-7/1996 Graduate Teaching Fellow
University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA 15260
8/1993-7/1994 Graduate Teaching Assistant
University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA 15260

Professional Activity

Member of American Society of Mechanical Engineering

Member of American Academy of Mechanics

Member of American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics

Locations of visitors to this page

Department of Mechanical Engineering
5711 Boardman Hall, Room 219
Orono, ME 04469-5711
Phone: (207) 581-2120 | Fax: (207) 581-2379

E-mail: megsmith@maine.edu


The University of Maine
, Orono, Maine 04469
207-581-1110
A Member of the University of Maine System