Professor Chiara Daraio
California Institute of Technology
Presenting in Track 1: Acoustics, Vibration, & Phononics
Sponsor: NCAD
Biography: Prof. Daraio's research focuses on developing new materials with advanced mechanical and sensing properties, for application in soft robotics, wearable devices, and shock/vibration absorption. Her lab is interested in understanding how different physical functions in new materials arise from their micro- and meso-structure, in both ordered and disordered media. Some of the applications of her research include new materials and methods for acoustic imaging and thermal sensing for health monitoring, smart and tunable fabrics, as well as sustainable materials for packaging and construction. Her work is primarily experimental, but it is informed by numerical and analytical studies, which serve as a guide in new material design, fabrication and validation of their properties.
Prof. Daraio is the G. Bradford Jones Professor of Mechanical Engineering and Applied Physics and Heritage Medical Research Institute Investigator at Caltech. She earned a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering from the University of Ancona in Italy, and later received master's and doctoral degrees in materials science and engineering from UC San Diego. Daraio first came to Caltech as an assistant professor in 2006 and has since spent her career at the Institute. From 2013 to 2016, she was also a faculty member and chair of mechanics and materials at ETH Zürich.