Carolyn Conner Seepersad
Assistant Professor
Mechanical Engineering
Phone: (512) 471-1985
Email: ccseepersad@mail.utexas.edu
Dr. Seepersad’s Web site
Dr. Carolyn Conner Seepersad earned her Ph.D. in mechanical engineering from the Georgia Institute of Technology in 2004. She joined the faculty of The University of Texas at Austin in 2005. She is a faculty member of the Manufacturing & Design Program of the Mechanical Engineering Department. Seepersad is a Rhodes Scholar.
Dr. Seepersad specializes in engineering design methods for complex systems and materials. Her work builds on foundations in robust design, topology design, solid freeform fabrication, multiobjective decision support and optimization, design for flexibility and collaborative and multidisciplinary design. Seepersad’s lab is establishing multiscale design methods that facilitate collaboration among several interdisciplinary engineering teams. The methods encourage distribution of design activities and result in satisfactory solutions while reducing iteration among design teams. Seepersad’s lab is also creating computational methods for designing robust and multifunctional material mesostructure (including honeycomb- or lattice-like materials). Applications include the design of functionally-graded materials, structural heat exchangers and freeform deployable structures. Seepersad’s lab is establishing fundamental principles and metrics for product flexibility in collaboration with Mechanical Engineering Professor Kristin Wood. The methods are designed to help contemporary product designers enhance the flexibility of products for unexpected future changes and adaptations.
Research Interests:
- Multiscale and multidisciplinary product and materials design
- Cellular (honeycomb) materials design
- Design for solid freeform fabrication
- Product flexibility