Research Expertise and Interest

advanced manufacturing, 3D printing systems, fire propagation and control, UAVs and swarms, ballistic fabric shielding, food-system modeling, pandemic modeling

Research Description

Tarek I. Zohdi is a professor in the Department of Mechanical Engineering.  His main research interests are in modeling, simulation and optimization of  nonconvex multiscale-multiphysics  problems for  industrial applications. He has published over 180 archival refereed journal papers and eight books: (a) Introduction to computational micromechanics (T. Zohdi and P. Wriggers, Springer-Verlag), (b) An introduction to modeling and simulation of particulate flows (T. Zohdi, SIAM), (c) Electromagnetic properties of multiphase dielectrics: a primer on modeling, theory and computation (T. Zohdi, Springer- Verlag), (d) Dynamics of charged particulate systems: modeling, theory and computation (T. Zohdi, Springer-Verlag) (e) A finite element primer for beginners-the basics (T. Zohdi, Springer- Verlag), (f) Modeling and simulation of functionalized materials for additive manufacturing and 3D printing: continuous and discrete media (T. Zohdi, Springer-Verlag), (g) A finite element primer for beginners-extended version including sample tests and projects (T. Zohdi, Springer-Verlag) and (h) Modeling and simulation of infectious diseases: microscale transmission, decontamination and macroscale propagation (T. Zohdi, Springer-Verlag), as well as  six handbook/book chapters and five encyclopedia chapters.

Tarek I. Zohdi has been active in these four main industrial areas:

• Modeling and simulation of high-strength fabric: Zohdi has worked extensively in  the computational analysis of high-strength ballistic fabric shielding. Initially, this work was funded by the FAA and Boeing as part of a 10 year (2001-2011) multi-million dollar laboratory and simulation effort to develop ballistic fabric shields for the Boeing 787. The analysis of Zohdi was instrumental in the development of 787 Boeing designs. The work was then applied to the development of new ballistic fabric shielding armor (from 2007-present) with the Army Research Labs (ARL) and the Army High Performance Computing Research Center (AHPCRC). In summary, the combined laboratory, modeling and simulation efforts have been instrumental for the development of new types of ballistic fabric shields for the safety and betterment of society.

• Modeling and simulation of highly heterogeneous materials: Zohdi has been instrumental in the computational analysis of particulate functionalized materials in multiphysical regimes. This work has been continuously funded by a number of industries, most notably for power-generation materials in harsh environments such as thermal barrier turbine blade coating materials (CMCs: Ceramic Matrix Composites) and high-voltage electromagnetic generator (dielectric) materials, such as End Corona Protection systems. This work has been a direct industrial outgrowth of his ground-breaking book: Introduction to computational micromechanics (T. Zohdi and P. Wriggers, Springer-Verlag).

• Modeling and simulation of fire-technologies: In 2018,  he founded the UC Berkeley Fire Research Group(FRG):  https://frg.berkeley.edu/ whose mission is to serve the best interests of the State of California and society at large, by working toward the development and implementation of more effective solutions for uncontrolled wildfires. The FRG’s mission is to  develop, harness and integrate the state-of-the-art technologies across many fields in order to produce robust and affordable firefighting systems that are easy to maintain, upgrade and deploy for early detection and control of fires. The has  FRG brought together engineers, scientists, technologists, first responders and firefighters to bolster research in fire science, management and emergency control.

• Modeling and simulation of food systems: In 2019,  he founded the UC Berkeley Center for Next Generation Food Systems https://food-manufacturing.berkeley.edu/. The overall mission of the center is to optimize societal food production, quality, and food safety/security in the era of pandemics and beyond. These themes are central to California since its economy is the 5th largest economy in the world. The institute encourages cross-collaboration and sharing of information, where possible, and through various forums to further enhance expanding opportunities. Furthermore, the institute supports the research, education, extension, and economics endeavors designed to advance public knowledge and commercial interests. The center explores themes associated with (a)  pandemic driven food system security and safety, (b) improving food yield, quality, and nutrition, (c) decreasing energy and water resource consumption, (d) increasing production yield and eliminating food waste, (e) large surface-area agriculture, using energy-efficient technologies such as solar and wind and the (f)  use of autonomous systems, drones, sensors and machine-learning for detection of inefficiencies and hazards. The center is part of  a 20,000,000 dollar multi-campus NSF funded network. Zohdi is the PI of the UC Berkeley hub/node.

• Modeling and simulation of advanced manufacturing processes: Finally, he has been heavily involved in the National Network of Manufacturing Innovation (NNMI) system that has been developed over the last decade by the US Government. The goal is to add capacity to the National Network of Manufacturing Innovation, a 2014 initiative to increase the competitiveness of U.S. manufacturing by streamlining research and development and increasing collaboration among industry, academia, national labs and federal partners.  In  2016,  he was the Northern California Principal Investigator for the Northern California Clean Energy Smart Manufacturing Innovation Institute (CESMII); see Whitehouse announcement: http://engineering.berkeley.edu/2016/06/california-new-headquarters-smart-manufacturing-institute  and http://www.me.berkeley.edu/about/news/president-obama-announces-winner-new-smart-manufacturing-innovation-institute-competition which is part of a 140,000,000 dollar consortium of universities, national labs  and companies geared towards smart clean manufacturing (headquartered at UCLA). The mission of the consortium, consisting of 200 partners from 30 states representing a wide spectrum of interests across industry and academia, is to help hone advanced manufacturing’s competitive edge in the United States by increasing efficiency and accelerating the adoption of technologies such as advanced sensors, data analytics and digital controls in manufacturing. Also, in 2016, he was the California Principal Investigator for another successful consortium NNMI grant (the Advanced Robotics Manufacturing (ARM), headquartered at Carnegie Mellon) in which he was appointed the coordinator of the Northern California  Branch; see announcement http://www.me.berkeley.edu/about/news/dod-announces-award-new-advanced-robotics-manufacturing-arm-innovation-hub and http://engineering.berkeley.edu/2017/01/berkeley-regional-center-new-robotics-manufacturing-consortium which is part of a 253,000,000 dollar consortium of universities, national labs and companies focused on  advanced robotic manufacturing.

Please see Tarek I. Zohdi's website for information about his academic career, awards, professional associations and publications.