David Littlefield

David Littlefield is a Professor in the Department of Mechanical Engineering at the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB), part of the College of Engineering. His primary research focuses on computational solid mechanics, high-performance computing (HPC), and computational magnetohydrodynamics. Applications span impact mechanics, biomechanics, weapons design, and force protection. He has authored over 200 papers and technical reports, and has served for two decades as an onsite technical expert for computational structural mechanics with the Department of Defense (DoD).

Education: B.S., M.S., and Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering from Georgia Institute of Technology. Teaching interests include numerical methods, continuum mechanics, and special topics in computational inelasticity and nonlinear finite element analysis. Professional memberships include Fellow of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (2002), United States Association for Computational Mechanics, and the National Defense Industrial Association.

His technical contributions include advanced finite element methods, error estimation, and code coupling algorithms for HPC. Awards and recognition include multiple DoD-recognized advancements in modeling and simulation for defense applications. Current research emphasizes HPC-driven solutions for complex material behaviors under extreme conditions.