Notes for Prospective Members
2 Ph.D. (manufacturing, materials science) and 1 Postdoc (mechanics of materials) positions are available starting Fall 2025.
Thank you for your interest in joining our research group at Penn State.
I am always looking for motivated, hard working, go-getter, and creative undergraduate and graduate students who demonstrate a can-do attitude under uncertain and dynamic situations. If you would like to join us, please follow the instructions outlined in the next few paragraphs.
Graduate Students: The mechanical engineering graduate program receives several applications. Your chances will increase if you have good test scores, GPA(s), and recommendations as well as evidences of scholarship (e.g., publications, presentations, etc.) and leadership abilities. There is an application fee when you apply to our graduate program. Please note that I cannot waive this fee. Typically, all admitted students receive some forms of funding. Once you are admitted and if you remain sincere, we do everything to make sure that you successfully complete your graduate study. Hence, it can be safely concluded that getting admitted to our graduate program is the hardest step. While preparing for your application, you may find this FAQ link useful.
Depending on my funding situation, I hire 1-2 graduate students (mostly PhDs) every academic year. If you are interested in my research, you may contact me to inquire about research and/or funding opportunities by sending an email with a motivation letter, unofficial transcripts, a detailed CV, and writing samples/publications. Please combine all files in a single PDF and send it as an attachment. Please note that I don’t hire graduate summer interns.
When I hire graduate students, I look for the following: (i) whether the students have strong fundamentals in undergraduate-level core mechanical engineering subjects (e.g., engineering mathematics, fluid mechanics, heat transfer, solid mechanics, etc.); (ii) whether the students possess qualities such as willingness to learn a diverse set of subjects, write/present research, etc.; and (iii) whether the students can work in a team environment and, are respectful toward others. We work with many stakeholders both within and outside of PSU. Hence, it is important that the students are patient, assertive, persuasive, and diligent.
Undergraduate Students at Penn State: If you are interested in my research, please email me your detailed CV. Please introduce yourself (year of study, department, and background) and let me know the research area you are most excited about. Please note that I don’t distinguish between my graduate and undergraduate students when it comes to professionalism, work commitment, and research responsibility. And I expect that the undergraduate students will be enthusiastic about writing scholarly publications. The duration of research must be more than a year.
Undergraduate Students Outside of Penn State: The nature of our research requires a student to spend a considerable amount of time to learn and, thereafter, make any meaningful contributions. Hence, I normally do not hire any short-term (i.e., less than one year of commitment) undergraduates. Occasionally, when I have a short-term project, I do hiring exclusively through different REU programs at Penn State. You can find more information about REU opportunities here. Additionally, please note that I do not offer any online/virtual/remote internship opportunities.
Post-docs/Research Scientists: If you are interested in my research, you may contact me to inquire about research and/or funding opportunities by sending an email with a motivation letter, unofficial transcripts, a detailed CV, 3 sample publications, and a list of 3 references. Please combine all files in a single PDF and send it as an attachment.
Visiting Scholars: Please send me your detailed CV and a 2-page research proposal. The research proposal needs to be aligned with our research goals/objectives. The duration of the visit must be at least for one year.