Pedro Ponte Castañeda

Professor and Raymond S. Markowitz Faculty Fellow

Mechanical Engineering and Applied Mechanics

Phone: 215.898.5046

Email: ponte@seas.upenn.edu

Office: 235 Towne Building

Education

• Ph.D. Applied Mathematics, Harvard University, 1986. 

• M.S. Engineering Sciences, Harvard University, 1983. 

• B.S. Mechanical Engineering, Lehigh University, 1982. 

• B.A. Mathematics, Lehigh University, 1982.

Professional Experience

• 1998-present  Professor, Department of Mechanical Engineering & Applied Mechanics (MEAM),  University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia.

• 2013-present  Raymond S. Markowitz Faculty Fellow, School of Engineering & Applied Science (SEAS),  University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia.

• 2008-present  Member, Graduate Group in Applied Math & Computational Science (AMCS),  University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia.

• 2018-present  Professor (secondary), Department of Mathematics,  University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia.

• 2019-present  Member, Graduate Group in Material Science & Engineering (MSE),  University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia.

• 2003-2008     Professor (part-time 2006-2008), Department of Mechanics, Ecole Polytechnique, Paris.

• 1994-1998     Associate Professor, Department of Mechanical Engineering & Applied Mechanics, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia.

• 1990-1994     Assistant Professor, Department of Mechanical Engineering & Applied Mechanics, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia.

• 1987-1990     Assistant Professor, Department of Mechanical Engineering,  The Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore.

• 1986-1987     Research Officer, School of Mathematical Sciences,  University of Bath, England.

• Fall 2023     Visiting Professor, Ecole Nationale Supérieure d’Arts et Métiers, Paris, France.

• 2014-2015     Visiting Professor (Humboldt Research Award), University of Stuttgart, Germany.

• 2010-2015     Associated Senior Researcher, Madrid Institute for Advanced Studies in Materials (IMDEA Materials), Spain.  

• Summer 2008 Visiting Scientist, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Marseilles, France.

• Spring 1994 Research Professor (Maître de Recherche), Laboratoire de Mécanique des Solides, École Polytechnique, Paris, France.

• Fall 1994 EPSRC Visiting Fellow, University of Cambridge, England.

• Summer 1993 Visiting Scientist, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Marseilles, France.

Honors & Awards

•  2016  ASME Warner T. Koiter Medal.

•  2016  ASME Fellow.

•  2013  Humboldt Senior Research Award, Alexander von Humboldt Foundation. 

• 2007            George H. Heilmeier Faculty Award for Excellence in Research, University of Pennsylvania.

• 2005  Midwest Mechanics Seminar.

• 2003  Séminaire de la Fédération Francilienne en Mécanique  des Matériaux, Paris.

• 2003  Professor of Mechanics, Ecole Polytechnique, Paris.

• 2000  ASME Thomas J.R. Hughes Young Investigator Award.

• 2000  Sectional Lecture, 20th International Congress of Theoretical & Applied Mechanics, Chicago.

• 1994  Visiting Fellowship, Corpus Christi College, Cambridge.

Editorial Positions

• 2016-present Associate Editor, Journal of the Mechanics and Physics of Solids.

• 2002-present Associate Editor, Journal of Elasticity.

• 2003-present Advisory Board, Archives of Mechanics.

• 1999-2015   Associate Editor, Comptes Rendus de l'Académie des Sciences de Paris, Mécanique.

Research

Applied Math

• Variational Methods

• Homogenization Methods

• Multi-Scale and Multi-Physics Analyses

• Asymptotic Analyses

Mechanics

• Nonlinear Composite Materials and Polycrystals (Metal-Matrix Composites, Sea Ice, Halite)

• Porous Plasticity and Damage and Implications for Shear Localization and Ductile Failure

• Mechanics of Polycrystalline Deformation and Texture Evolution (Polar Ice, Olvine and Porous Metals)

• Soft Composite Materials (Particle- and Fiber-Reinforced Rubbers, Thermoplastic Elastomers, Semi-Crystalline Polymers, Elastomeric Foams) 

• Instabilities and Domain Formation in Elastomeric Composites

• Particle Distribution Effects in Composite Materials

• Field Statistics in Composite Matwerials and Polycrystals 

• Smart Materials (Magnetorheological Elastomers, Dielectric Elastomer Composites, Pneumatically-Actuated Elastomers)

• Time- and History-Dependent Effects in Viscoelastic and Elasto-Viscoplastic Composites and Polycrystals

• Rheology of Complex Fluids (Soft Particle Suspensions, Yield Stress Fluid Suspensions)

• Flow through Porous Media

• Fracture Mechanics

Publications

Google Scholar

ORCID

Past Group Members 

Ph.D. students

• Gouan Li, Ph.D., Johns Hopkins, October 1992.
  "Constitutive Models for Ductile Solids Reinforced by Spheroidal Inclusions."

• Gal de Botton, Ph.D., University of Pennsylvania, January 1993.
  “The Constitutive Behavior of Nonlinear Anisotropic Composites.”

• Kingshuk Bose, Ph.D., University of Pennsylvania, April 1994.
  “Steady Interfacial Crack Growth under Mixed-Mode Conditions.”

• Mati Zaidman,  Ph.D., University of Pennsylvania, December 1994.
  “Constitutive Models for Composite Materials with Evolving Microstructures.”

• Mahesh Kailasam, Ph.D., University of Pennsylvania, January 1998.
  “A General Constitutive Theory for Particulate Composites and Porous Materials with Microstructure Evolution.”

• Michael Nebozhyn, Ph.D., University of Pennsylvania, May 2000.
  “Variational Self-Consistent Estimates for the Effective Behavior of Nonlinear Polycrystals.”  

• Yi Liu, Ph.D., University of Pennsylvania, August 2003.
  "Macroscopic behavior, field fluctuations and texture evolution in viscoplastic polycrystals."

• Martin Idiart, Ph.D., University of Pennsylvania & Ecole Polytechnique, October 2006.
  “Macroscopic Behavior and Field Statistics in Viscoplastic Composites.”           

• Oscar Lopez-Pamies, Ph.D., University of Pennsylvania & Ecole Polytechnique, October 2006.
  “On the Effective Behavior, Microstructure Evolution and Macroscopic Stability of Elastomeric Composites.”

• Francois Willot, Ph.D., Ecole Polytechnique, January 2007  (joint with Y.-P.  Pellegrini).
  “Contribution à l'étude théorique de la localisation plastique dans les poreux.”

• Kostas Danas, Ph.D., University of Pennsylvania & Ecole Polytechnique, May 2008.
  “Homogenization-based constitutive models for viscoplastic porous media with evolving microstructure.”

• Michalis Agoras, Ph.D., University of Pennsylvania, August 2010.
  "On Macroscopic Constitutive Relations and Microstructure Evolution in Multi-Scale Viscoplastic Composites" 

• Evan Galipeau, Ph.D., University of Pennsylvania, December 2012. 

“Nonlinear Homogenization of Magnetorheological Elastomers at Finite Strain.”

• Reza Avazmohammadi, Ph.D. (University of Pennsylvania), December 2014.

“Overall Mechanical Response of Soft Composite Materials with Particulate Microstructure at Finite Strains.”

• Morteza Hakimi Siboni, Ph.D. (University of Pennsylvania), December 2014.“

“Dielectric Elastomer Composites: Macroscopic Behavior and Instabilities.”

• Dawei Song, Ph.D., University of Pennsylvania, December 2017.

“Constitutive Modeling of Viscoplastic Porous Single Crystals and Polycrystals: Macroscopic Response and Evolution of the Microstructure.”

• Joshua Furer, Ph.D., AMCS, University of Pennsylvania, December 2019.

“Problems in Nonlinear Homogenization: Bounds, Estimates, Macroscopic Instabilities and Post-Bifurcation Response.”

• Shuvrangsu Das, Ph.D., University of Pennsylvania, August 2020.

“Analytical Homogenization Estimates for the Transient and Steady-State Response of Elasto-Viscoplastic Polycrystals.”

• Jose E. Cotelo, Ph.D. (University of Pennsylvania), December 2021.

“A Differential Homogenization Framework for Elasto-Viscoplastic Particulate Composites.”

• Christoph Kammer, Ph.D. (University of Pennsylvania), December 2021.

“Analytical Homogenization Estimates for the Effective Properties and Field Statistics of Viscoplastic Composites and Particle Suspensions.”

• Panteleimon Charalampopoulos, Ph.D. (University of Pennsylvania), In progress.

• Peter Caulfield, Ph.D. (University of Pennsylvania), In progress.

Postdoctoral Fellows and Visitors

• Michel Bornert, Ph.D, École Nationale des Ponts et Chaussés, Paris, 1994.

• Renald Brenner, Ph.D, Université de Paris XIII, 2001.

• Michele Brun, Ph.D, University of Trento, 2003.

• Oscar Lopez-Pamies, Ph.D., University of Pennsylvania, 2007.

• Vikranth Racherla, Ph.D., University of Pennsylvania, 200).  

• Francois Willot, Ph.D., Ecole Polytechnique, 2007. 

• Michalis Agoras, Ph.D., University of Pennsylvania, 2010.           

Courses

• MEAM 201 Dynamics

• MEAM 321 Vibrations of Mechanical Systems

• MEAM 454 Mechanics of Materials

• MEAM 530 Continuum Mechanics

• MEAM 633 Fracture Mechanics

• MEAM 635 Composite Materials

• ENM 5211 Engineering Mathematics Principles II

• MEC 553 Heterogeneous Materials (Polytechnique)

• MEC 587 Mechanics of Polymers (Polytechnique)