Dr Prashant Saxena he/him
Senior Lecturer in Solid Mechanics
Mission Priority Areas
Innovation requires creative thinking by breaking the norm.
DiveIn aims to bring together a diverse cohort of students and supervisors and harness their inherent skills and lived experiences to tackle global challenges.
I believe that this novel approach to interdisciplinary science with a primary focus on the scientists will result in exciting breakthroughs.
I lead the Mechanics of Soft Solids (MSS) group ( www.solid-mechanics.net ) at UoG that sits within the Glasgow Computational Engineering Centre (GCEC). The group focusses on the fundamental mechanics and mathematical/computational formulations to study large deformation in soft solids such as rubbers, elastomers, soft biological tissues, and metamaterials. Our work has found application in a range of areas such as flexible wave energy convertors, thin and lightweight space structures, soft robotic mechanisms, soft biological tissues, and biomedical devices (electronic skin patches, design of aortic stents). We continue to look for collaborations within all areas of science, engineering, and technology that have use for highly deformable soft materials and structures.
At MSS group, we are particularly excited about our capabilities in computational modelling of nonlinear multi-physics phenomena involving extreme deformation of soft structures. We have a strong track record of open science and are pioneers in developing open-source software. Joint PhD projects with our group could either take the form of understanding the fundamental characteristics of a novel engineering design/ biological component or efficient and accurate computational analysis of a complex system in a technological application.
The group’s alumni have been very successful in their careers. Our former postdoctoral scientist moved to a permanent academic position in China after finishing his work with us while our former PhD student is now a postdoctoral scientist at Denmark Technical University. One of the former graduate researchers who studied lightweight structures with us is now a scientist at NASA while his colleague who studied a similar topic is now a PhD student at NUI Galway.
Within the School of Engineering, I am a member of the EDI-data team where I provide a data-driven analysis of the role that gender and ethnicity play in promotions and recruitment. Within the GCEC, I lead the EDI work with a focus on reducing gender disparity by helping with the recruitment process and efficiently coordinating invited seminars, liaison with stakeholders, and managing the outward presence on Twitter and the website.
In my spare time, I hit a country road on my bike when I’m not juggling time with my two kids.
