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Recruiting PhD students to study Solid Mechanics at Harvard

Zhigang Suo's picture
Submitted by Zhigang Suo on Sun, 2007-10-21 20:11.

Each year, several new students begin their studies of Solid Mechanics for PhD degrees at Harvard School of Engineering and Applied Sciences.  The students come from all over the world.  We have no constraint on where they come from.

Faculty members in Solid Mechanics.   The School of Engineering and Applied Sciences is not divided into departments, but faculty do self-assemble into programs.  Faculty members directly responsible for the program of Solid Mechanics are

Please look at the above websites, and feel free to contact us for any question. 

Application.  We will be delighted if you find that your interest matches with ours.  In the application form, please check the “Solid Mechanics” box.  In the statement of purpose, please indicate your experience or aspiration relevant to Solid Mechanics.  You only need a Bachelor degree to apply for admission as a PhD student.  Of course, if you do have a master degree, please tell us your experience in some detail.  We love Solid Mechanics, and appreciate people with similar enthusiasm for our subject. 

If you are interested in working with a particular professor, please mention in your statement of purpose the name of the professor and your reasons.  We read each statement of purpose with care, and look for good matches.  So, please help us.  

Mentioning the name of a professor does not bind you with the professor.  You can choose to work with anyone at Harvard once you are here.  Please learn more about application. 

Admission.  Individual faculty members can make recommendations, but cannot determine which student to admit. All students are admitted through the Graduate Admissions Committee in the School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, on a competitive basis. 

Financial support.  Every PhD student receives a fellowship, which is sufficient to cover all expenses to study and live in Cambridge.  The fellowship, however, is rarely offered to a Master student.  If your final goal is to obtain a PhD degree at Harvard, you may not wish to apply for admission as a Master student.  Instead, you may apply for admission as a PhD student:  you only need a Bachelor degree to do so. 

Your program of study.  We are flexible.  Once you come to Harvard, you and your advisor will work together to define a program of study specifically suitable to you. 

If you absolutely cannot wait to plan ahead, here is what you need to get started.  The PhD degree requires that you take 12 courses.  (A discussion is ongoing to reduce this number to 10, but we don't know when and if this new number will be used.)  You may look at the catalogue of courses at Harvard.   Harvard students can also take courses at MIT.  Here is a very short list of Harvard courses popular among students of Solid Mechanics:

  • Engineering Sciences 240.  Solid Mechanics
  • Engineering Sciences 241.  Advanced Elasticity
  • Engineering Sciences 242r.  Solid Mechanics:  Advanced Seminar
  • Engineering Sciences 246.  Plasticity
  • Engineering Sciences 247.  Fracture Mechanics
  • Engineering Sciences 216.  Biological Dynamics
  • Engineering Sciences 220.  Fluid Mechanics
  • Engineering Sciences 262.  Advanced Hydrology and Environmental Geomechanics
  • Earth and Planetary Sciences 263.  Earthquake Source Processes
  • Earth and Planetary Sciences 201.  Physics of the Earth's Interior
  • Earth and Planetary Sciences 204.  Global Sesmology
  • Applied Mathematic 201.  Physical Mathematics I
  • Applied Mathematics 202.  Physical Mathematics II
  • Applied Physics 282.  Solids:  Structures and Defects
  • Applied Physics 292.  Kinetics of Condensed Phase Processes
  • Applied Physics 293.  Deformation of Solids

A short list of other Harvard faculty members who have strong interests in Solid Mechanics or closely related fields.  Once you come to Harvard to study Solid Mechanics, you are likely to encounter the following professors:


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Hi Zhigang I am currently

Submitted by Ahmed_Elbanna on Mon, 2007-11-05 11:13.

Hi Zhigang

I am currently a PhD student in Caltech. I have strong interests in Applied Mechanics with special focus on solid mechanics and physics of earthquake rupture. I am expecting to graduate by 2009. Are there any opportunities for Post Doc. positions available at Harvard Solid Mechanics?

Best,

Ahmed 


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Zhigang Suo's picture

Solid Mechanics and other positions at Harvard

Submitted by Zhigang Suo on Mon, 2007-11-05 12:43.

Ahmed:  As you probably know well, at Harvard Jim Rice is active in the field of earth science.  You may want to contact him directly.  If you are interested in other fields where solid mechanics plays roles, you may want to contact other faculty memebers as well.  Here are annoucements of two positions:


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Thanks

Submitted by Ahmed_Elbanna on Tue, 2007-11-06 03:37.

Dear Zhigang

Thanks for the valuable information you have provided here.

Best,

Ahmed 


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This is a great opportunity

Submitted by gordman on Tue, 2008-01-22 19:47.

This is a great opportunity for bright young students, Harvard is a reall landmark for the universitary environment world wide. Everyone would work hard for such an opportunity.

Nouveau Riche 


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gautambalaram's picture

A rare opportunity

Submitted by gautambalaram on Wed, 2008-07-23 08:50.

I am a masters student presently from Imperial College London. I am working on alternative modeling of fracture and more specifically the Rice-Tracey model. I am using this to model adhesive fracture on a DCB specimen using FEA. I have a very keen interest in pursuing a PhD in the field of fracture mechanics and specifically in modeling of fracture. I would be glad if you could enlighten me whether there are any openings in this field. If yes, then I would be honoured to apply for this rare opportunity.


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