Sumanta Das

Dr. Sumanta Das is an Associate Professor and Graduate Director in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at the University of Rhode Island. His research focuses on sustainable infrastructure materials, with particular expertise in cementitious materials, composite structures, and advanced computational modeling techniques. He directs a vibrant research group that bridges experimental mechanics with computational modeling and machine learning approaches to address challenges in infrastructure durability and performance.

Dr. Das received his educational training from prestigious institutions:

• Ph.D. in Materials and Structures from Arizona State University (2015)
• M.Tech. in Structural Engineering from Indian Institute of Technology, Kanpur (2012)
• B.E. in Civil Engineering from Jadavpur University (2010)

His research interests center around developing sustainable and durable infrastructure materials through innovative design approaches. Dr. Das investigates microstructure-property relationships in cementitious systems, with special focus on materials containing microencapsulated phase change materials for freeze-thaw durability, fiber-reinforced composites, and smart cementitious materials with self-sensing capabilities. His work integrates advanced experimental techniques like nanoindentation with computational modeling approaches including finite element analysis, molecular dynamics simulations, and machine learning algorithms to predict material behavior and optimize performance.

Dr. Das's recent publications demonstrate a clear trajectory toward integrating machine learning with traditional materials science approaches. His research group has made significant contributions to understanding the behavior of cementitious composites under extreme conditions, developing multifunctional composites with embedded sensing capabilities, and creating computational frameworks that bridge multiple scales from molecular to structural levels. The work shows increasing sophistication in combining experimental validation with predictive modeling.

Dr. Das has successfully secured numerous research grants as PI or Co-PI from diverse funding sources including the Office of Naval Research, Department of Defense, US Department of Transportation, and industry partners like Goetz Composites. His research portfolio spans infrastructure durability, composite materials for marine applications, and smart sensing technologies for structural health monitoring.

As an educator and mentor, Dr. Das has supervised multiple doctoral and master's students who have completed theses on topics including:

• Multiscale simulation and machine learning-assisted performance prediction for cementitious composites
• Performance-based multiscale tuning of inclusion-modified and 3D printed composites
• Enhancing freeze-thaw durability of cementitious composites through innovative materials design
• Underwater explosion response of composite structures
• Implosion pulse mitigation using additively manufactured filler profiles