Principal Investigator
Jacob Hochhalter, Ph.D.
Associate Professor, Mechanical Engineering
Adjunct Professor, Kahlert School of Computing
Postdoctoral Researchers
Krishna Logakannan, Ph.D.
Ph.D. Indian Institute of Technology Madras, India and Swinburne University of Technology, Australia
M. Tech Mechanical Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology, Roorkee, India
B.Eng. Production Engineering, PSG College of Technology, India
Hometown: Trichy, Tamil Nadu, India
Research: Derivative informed training data for machine learning (funded by: Vice President of Research Office, University of Utah)
Ph.D. Students
Donovan Birky
B.S. General Engineering, Fort Lewis College
M.S. Mechanical Engineering, University of Utah
Hometown: Bend, Oregon
Research: A machine learning approach for interpretable plasticity models using systematic assumption relaxation with uncertainty quantification (funded by: Sandia National Labs)
Jonas Merrell
B.S. Mechanical Engineering, University of Utah
M.S. Mechanical Engineering, University of Utah
Hometown: Salt Lake City, Utah
Research: Interpretable Machine Learning for Microstructure-Sensitive Fatigue Crack Initiation from Defects in Additive Manufactured Components (funded by: NSF)
Joshua Urbonas
B.S. Mechanical Engineering with a minor in Public Affairs, Colorado School of Mines
Hometown: San Diego, California
Research: AFRL STTR Phase 2: Human-Interpretable Machine Learning for Certification and Sustainment of Fatigue-Critical Additively Manufactured Components (funded by: Air Force Research Lab)
Kasandra Aulenbach
B.S. Mechanical Engineering, Virginia Commonwealth University
B.S. Physics, Virginia Commonwealth University
Hometown: Yorktown, Virginia
Research: Interpretable machine learning for stress intensity factor solutions of cracks propagating in natural gas pipelines using a hydrogen blend (funded by: Sandia National Labs)
Sam Brown
B.S. Mechanical Engineering, University of Utah
Hometown: Salt Lake City, Utah
Research: AFRL STTR Phase 2: Human-Interpretable Machine Learning for Certification and Sustainment of Fatigue-Critical Additively Manufactured Components (funded by: Air Force Research Lab)
William Gilliland
B.S. Mechanical Engineering, University of Utah
M.S. Mechanical Engineering, University of Utah
Hometown: Salt Lake City, Utah
Research: Development of a surface patterning method to enable simultaneous microscale full-field strain measurement (funded by: Sandia National Labs)
Will Jenkins
B.S. Mechanical Engineering, Brigham Young University – Idaho
M.S. Mechanical Engineering, University of Utah
Hometown: Idaho Falls, Idaho
Research: Developing continuum damage model tensors for ceramic matrix composites using genetic programming based symbolic regression (funded by: Air Force Research Lab)
Tushar Gautam (co-advised by: Dr. Shandian Zhe and Dr. Mike Kirby)
B.S. Geophysical Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology, Roorkee
M. Tech. Geophysical Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology, Roorkee
Hometown: Una, Himachal Pradesh, India
Research: Advances in probabilistic damage tolerance analysis using the Smart/DT software (funded by: FAA)
Zak Bastiani (co-advised by: Dr. Shandian Zhe and Dr. Mike Kirby)
B.S. Computer Science
Hometown: Salt Lake City, Utah
Research: AFRL STTR Phase 2: Human-Interpretable Machine Learning for Certification and Sustainment of Fatigue-Critical Additively Manufactured Components (funded by: Air Force Research Lab)
Masters Students
Daisy Quach
B.S. Mechanical Engineering, University of Utah
Hometown: West Jordan, Utah
Research: IOWarp: Bending the I/O Fabric for Advancing AI-Infused Scientific Workflows (funded by: NSF) and Remote and Austere Conditions, BI-BOUGIE: SAFE, RELIABLE, EFFECTIVE INTUBATION
Prasanna Koirala
B.S. Mechanical Engineering, Tribhuvan University
Hometown: Kathmandu, Nepal
Research: AFRL STTR Phase 2: Human-Interpretable Machine Learning for Certification and Sustainment of Fatigue-Critical Additively Manufactured Components (funded by: Air Force Research Lab)
Undergraduate Students
Austin Corbett
Research: AFRL STTR Phase 2: Human-Interpretable Machine Learning for Certification and Sustainment of Fatigue-Critical Additively Manufactured Components (funded by: Air Force Research Lab)
Former Students
Sam Parry
- Masters Student, Sandia National Lab
Dr. Brian Phung
- Postdoctoral Researcher, Sandia National Lab
Cooper Hansen
- Masters Student, Lawrence Livermore National Lab
David Randall
- Masters Student, Founder and CEO of Gracious Greetings and Software Engineer at Tagup, Inc.
Joe Cochran
- Masters Student, Hobbyist Machinist
Jacob Zamora
- Masters Student, Northrop Grumman
Dr. Karl Garbrecht
- Ph.D. Student, Los Alamos National Lab
Keven Carlson
- Masters Student, New York Times
Kian Ben-Jacob
- Undergraduate Student, UC-Irvine
Kristen Stewart
- Undergraduate Student, University of Texas at Austin
Levi Marland
- Undergraduate Student, Polaris, Inc.
Matt Andrus
- Masters Student, United States Air Force - Hill AFB
Nolan Strauss
- Masters Student, Johns Hopkins University
Dr. Wes Tayon
- Ph.D. Student, NASA Langley Research Center
Sam Poulton
- Masters Student, Edwards Lifesciences