Dr. Drithi Shetty Headshot

WEBSITE(S)| Mechanical Engineering | triobomechadynamics lab | Research Gate | Git Hub

BIOGRAPHY

Drithi completed her Bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering at VJTI, Mumbai and her Master's & Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering at the University of Wisconsin - Madison. Her research focuses on studying the effect of friction on the dynamics of built-up structures.

When built-up structures, such as airplanes, automobiles, and so on, experience dynamic loading, the friction at their interfaces causes energy dissipation, impacting the overall stresses of the structures. Accounting for this friction allows for more lightweight, fuel-efficient designs, thus reducing CO2 emissions and overall cost. Modeling the effect of friction, however, is complicated due to its nonlinear and multiscale nature. For her doctoral dissertation, Drithi developed novel numerical methods that are based on phenomenological models to estimate the effect of friction on the overall dynamics. As a Rice Academy Fellow, Drithi will be working with Dr. Brake and Dr. Jermaine to study how data-driven experimentation can further improve the modeling and prediction of friction.

Additionally, Drithi is interested in implementing evidence-based, student-centered teaching methods in undergraduate and graduate level engineering courses. She has completed the Delta Teaching Certificate at UW-Madison and is looking forward to expanding her teaching knowledge and experience at Rice University