Structural Engineering faculty members Assistant Professor Shabnam Semnani and Assistant Professor Georgios Tsampras have been selected as recipients of the 2025 Jacobs School Early Career Faculty Development Award for their collaborative research project, Multiscale Mechanics and Fabrication of Additively Manufactured Recycled Thermoplastic Composites. This award is designed to jumpstart cross-disciplinary collaborations by funding graduate students from two different labs for two quarters — empowering faculty to pursue high-impact, interdisciplinary research.
In this project, Professors Semnani and Tsampras are joining forces to investigate whether recycled fiber-filled thermoplastics — a sustainable class of 3D-printed materials — can be used to fabricate large-scale, load-bearing structural components for civil and marine applications. The team aims to answer key questions: How does the size of 3D-printed structural elements affect their mechanical performance? And can these recycled materials be reliably used in real-world structural systems to improve resilience and reduce environmental impact?
The project combines Professor Tsampras’ expertise in robotic hybrid manufacturing systems with Professor Semnani’s background in multiscale modeling and material behavior, creating a unique synergy between experimental fabrication and computational analysis. Graduate students from both labs are collaborating to fabricate, test, and model various 3D-printed components, helping to bridge a critical knowledge gap in sustainable structural engineering.
This innovative research effort not only exemplifies the collaborative spirit of the Jacobs School but also contributes to the broader mission of advancing sustainability, safety, and resilience in the built environment. Congratulations to Professors Semnani and Tsampras on this exciting collaboration! We look forward to the innovative discoveries and advancements that will emerge from this important research effort.