About

I am an Assistant Professor at Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology, Mechanical Engineering Department. Through theoretical modeling and computational tools, I study the thermomechanical behavior of materials: I am interested in how their shape, morphology, and properties evolve in the presence of external stimuli, and how these observations connect to microstructure and constitutive laws.

Some of the topics my collaborators and I worked on are: (1) phase-field models for smectic liquid crystals, (2) bending meaures for plates and shells, (3) the role of loading on twinning in alloys, (4) constitutive equations for hyperleastic materials, and (5) spiral defect chaos in the Rayleigh-Bénard convection.

My research interests lie in the intersection between materials, mechanics, and mathematics, including:

• Continuum mechanics: nonlinear elasticity, soft materials, and nonlocal theories
• Interplay between mechanics, geometry, and pattern formation
• Structural instabilities and shape actuation
• Phase-field modeling of soft materials and interfaces
• Motion and interaction of topological defects, twinning

For author name, I go by: Eduardo Vitral or E. Vitral.

You can reach me at vitralfr@rose-hulman.edu