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Professor Ryan S. Elliot's research deals with stability and instability problems related to structures, materials, and microstructured materials. This broad area of engineering science encompasses phenomena such as the crumpling of a car body and frame when involved in a crash, the buckling of railroad tracks on extremely hot and sunny days, the flutter of aircraft wings (where flapping-like vibrations can be amplified and ultimately rip the wings or tail fins off the craft), and the instabilities that can lead to collapse of space truss and frame structures commonly used in satellites and space station construction.  Professor Elliott's research program has three major themes: (I) development of nonlinear modeling of discrete and continuum solid-state materials and structures, capable of accurately predicting instability behavior and the associated multiple stable states of real systems; (II) development of analytical and computational methodologies (based on theories of symmetry, bifurcation, and pattern formation) that combine applied mathematics and scientific computing to systematically discover the multiple stable states predicted by a given nonlinear model; and (III) development of open source scientific software, and the creation and support of user communities who benefit from these software packages. The specific research projects pursued by Professor Elliott and his research group each involve one or more of these major themes which serve as common threads connecting them all.

Education

Ph.D., Aerospace Engineering and Scientific Computing, University of Michigan, 2004

M.S., Mathematics, University of Michigan, 2002

M.S.E., Aerospace Engineering, University of Michigan, 1999

B.S., Engineering Mechanics, Michigan State University, 1998

Research Lab

Professional Background

Director of Graduate Studies, Aerospace Engineering & Mechanics, University of Minnesota, 2020 -present

Professor, Aerospace Engineering & Mechanics, University of Minnesota, 2018

Associate Professor, Aerospace Engineering & Mechanics, University of Minnesota, 2011-2018

Russell J. Penrose Fellow, Aerospace Engineering & Mechanics, University of Minnesota, 2012-2015

Graduate Faculty Member, Computational Science, 2015-present

Graduate Faculty Member, Civil Engineering, 2012-present

Visiting Researcher (LMS),  École Polytechnique (France)

Assistant Professor, Aerospace Engineering & Mechanics, 2005-2011

Research Fellow, Department of Aerospace Engineering, University of Michigan, 2004

Computational Science Graduate Fellowship Practicum, Los Alamos National Laboratory, 2001

Research Assistant, University of Michigan, 1999-2004

Teaching Assistant, University of Michigan, 1999

Undergraduate Teaching Assistant, Michigan State University, 1997-1998

Scientific & Professional Societies