Dr. Panos G. Charalambides, Professor
Department of Mechanical Engineering
University of Maryland, Baltimore County
211 Engineering Building
1000 Hilltop Circle
Baltimore, MD 21250
Tel.# (410)-455-3346
Fax# (410)-455-1052
Email: panos@umbc.edu
Welcome
Welcome to the Computational Fracture Mechanics and Composites (CFMC) Lab website. This site is a portal to the educational, research, service and administrative activities and contributions of Professor Panos Charalambides at his capacity as a faculty and former department chair. The stated vision, mission and strategic goals reflect the values Professor Charalambides and his commitment to education, research, discovery and scholarship. The website also includes relevant information on current and former graduate and undergraduate students and research associates who help realize the group’s research aspirations. A description of active research projects can be found under the “Research” tab and course materials related to the current semester are listed under the “Education tab”. Scanned .PDF files of publications are made available through the “Publications” tab. Finally, the visitor is welcomed to leave any comments on the posted materials as well as suggestions for the improvement of the website.
Again, Professor Charalambides and his research team welcome you to the CFMC website and look forward to any feedback you may have. Enjoy your visit!
Professor Panos Charalambides’ Biography
Education
Professor Charalambides was born on the island of Cyprus and received his primary and secondary education through the public school system in his Xeros village and metropolitan city of Morphou respectively. He went on to receive his B.Sc. degree in Civil Engineering from Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Greece in 1981 where he graduated with First Class Honors. Mentored by Professor Robert M. McMeeking, he obtained his M. Sc. and Ph.D. degrees in Theoretical and Applied Mechanics at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in 1983 and 1986 respectively.
Experience
During his Post-Doctoral studies in the Department of Materials, University of California at Santa Barbara, he worked on pioneering studies with several collaborators on the characterization of bimaterial interface fracture. While at Michigan Technological University, (1989-1993) Professor Charalambides received the prestigious NSF sponsored Presidential Young Investigator award. He joined the Department of Mechanical Engineering at the University of Maryland Baltimore County in January 1994. Professor Charalambides served as the Chair of the Department of Mechanical Engineering for a six year period during 2002-2008. He has advised over 20 PhD and M.S. students and has published extensively in his area of research.
Research Interests
In addition to the fracture of bimaterial interfaces and delamination in layered systems, Dr. Charalambides research contributions include studies on micromechanical modeling, the modeling of unidirectionally reinforced composites, woven ceramic and polymer matrix composites, Fibrous Monolith Composites (FMCs), biomechanics, optimal fixturing for manufacturing and most recently on the Modeling of MEMS tactile sensors. Professor Charalambides has technology transfer experience and contributions through the development of the DENDRO Finite Element software and the NIST sponsored OOF/OOF2 Materials Research software.
Accomplishments and Awards
Professor Charalambides received several Teaching Excellence awards and the NSF sponsored Presidential Young Investigator award. He was nominated by his institution to serve as a scientific advisor to the Secretary of State in the United States through a Jeferson Science Fellowship. While a department Chair (2002-2008), Professor Charalambides led the department through an unprecedented growth increasing the undergraduate enrollments from below 200 to over 500 in six years while increasing annual research expenditures from half a million to over four million dollars over the same period. Professor Charalambides’ contributions to the field of biomaterial fracture are broadly cited by his peers.
Strategic Planning
Vision
To engage in foundational and applied research for the purpose of advancing the envelope of knowledge through discovery and scholarship. It is also our vision to enable the transfer of knowledge by educating the next generation of scientists and engineers.
Mission
To vigorously engage in scholarship and funded research for the purpose of discovery and education. To secure funding in support of research and graduate students. To provide undergraduate research opportunities. To work closely with industry and the surrounding community to advance the state of the art in engineering and technology.
Strategic Goals
- Conduct research and publish in scholarly journals.
- Secure funding in support of research and graduate students.
- Recruit and train undergraduates.
- Identify and pursue ideal paths to graduation of M.S. and PhD Students.
- Maintain active interaction with local government and industry.
- Disseminate work through publication, conference presentation and poster exhibits.
