On May 14, 2024, I successfully defended and passed my dissertation proposal exam for my PhD in Civil and Environmental Engineering at the University of Michigan. My committee consists of Associate Professor Evgueni T. Filipov (chair), Associate Professor Jeff Scruggs, Professor Kevin Maki, and Professor Sherif El-Tawil.
My proposed dissertation, “Transforming Optimized Static Trusses into Shape-morphing Functional Systems,” aims to bridge the gap between traditional, static truss design and highly reconfigurable structural systems. The work develops a framework to take topology-optimized trusses and strategically introduce additional nodes so that each triangular unit behaves like a four-bar linkage. This turns otherwise fixed trusses into flat-foldable, shape-morphing systems that can be packed, deployed, and reused with minimal loss in stiffness or load capacity.
The research is organized around three main aims: (A) harnessing the kinematics of 2D trusses for foldability and controlled shape morphing, (B) integrating torsional springs to create spring-loaded trusses for reusable energy absorption and efficient actuation, and (C) extending these ideas to 3D trusses that act as deployable support systems for continuous structures such as membranes and origami-based surfaces. Together, these directions set the roadmap for the remainder of my PhD and push toward reconfigurable truss systems that are both mechanically efficient and practical for real applications—ranging from rapidly deployable shelters to morphing support structures for architectural, marine, and aerospace systems.