Francisco Castro

Francisco Castro is an Instructor in the CMU/CU Boulder Mechanical Engineering Partnership Program at Colorado Mesa University. He earned his PhD from the University of Colorado at Boulder in 2009.

• PhD: University of Colorado at Boulder (2009)
• MS: University of Colorado at Denver (2003)
• BS: Pontifical Catholic University of Peru (1997)

His research focuses on the mechanical characterization of polymers, particularly the thermo-mechanical behavior and constitutive modeling of shape memory polymers (SMPs). He investigates temperature-dependent material recovery, thermal rate effects on amorphous SMPs, and develops computational models for viscoelastic behavior and stress relaxation.

Francisco's recent publications highlight his expertise in thermomechanical testing, uniaxial compression experiments, and finite deformation analysis of SMPs. These works emphasize polymer science, materials engineering, and thermal-mechanical interactions.

• Mechanical Engineering Outstanding PhD Dissertation (2009)

He collaborates on projects involving constitutive modeling, experimental design, and polymer mechanics, contributing to advancements in shape memory polymer applications.