When
Thursday, April 23, 2026, at 4:00 p.m.
K.T. Ramesh
Alonzo G. Decker, Jr., Professor of Science & Engineering
Departments of Mechanical Engineering, Materials Science and Engineering, and Earth & Planetary Sciences
The Johns Hopkins University
"Hypervelocity Impact, High-Throughput Methods and AI-Driven Material Design"
AME Lecture Hall, Room S202 | Zoom link
Abstract: The use of artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) methods in materials design is limited by the availability of sufficient data to enable such design. Consider, for example, the design of structural materials for an application such as spacecraft re-entry into planetary atmospheres. Such materials are subjected to dynamic loading at a range of temperatures, and the material behavior involves mechanisms that cover a range of length scales and timescales. AI-driven design is challenging because only a small number of materials have ever been examined under the relevant conditions. This is largely because of (a) the lack of understanding of hypervelocity impact phenomena, and (b) the high cost of evaluating material performance with conventional methods. This talk discusses the development of high-throughput experimental methods, coupled with specific computational approaches, that allow us to create large datasets of relevant properties while rapidly exploring the space of possible materials. By coupling these large datasets with ML methods, we seek a new AI-driven autonomous research approach to materials design. The work is performed within the new Artificial Intelligence for Materials Design (AIMD) Laboratory at Johns Hopkins University.
Bio: K. T. Ramesh is the Alonzo G. Decker, Jr., Professor of Science & Engineering at Johns Hopkins University, and a professor in the Departments of Mechanical Engineering, Materials Science and Engineering, and Earth & Planetary Sciences. He was the founding director of the Hopkins Extreme Materials Institute. His research focuses on the impact and failure of materials under extreme conditions, with specific interests in AI applied to materials design, protection materials, impact processes in planetary science and impact biomechanics. He has a particular interest in the ways in which creativity can be integrated into the sciences, arts and engineering. His work has applications in protecting people, structures and the planet.