Associate Professor Kai James

Associate Professor James’ research is driving innovation and ensuring efficiency in aerospace. His work centers on computational mechanics and multidisciplinary design optimization, focusing on problems involving complex, nonlinear structures and mechanisms. He is particularly interested in developing novel algorithms that leverage high-fidelity computational models and numerical optimization methods. James heads up the Design Innovation and Computational Engineering (DICE) Lab, which creates novel algorithms and computational tools for the design and synthesis of complex mechanical systems. 

Some of his major research projects include the aerostructure optimization of electric aircraft wings, the design synthesis of self-actuating morphable structures containing active materials, and generative adversarial neural networks for design automation. He is also a National Center for Supercomputing Applications Faculty Fellow. He received the Scott White Aerospace Engineering Fellow Award in 2020, the National Science Foundation Career Award in 2018, and the AIAA Teacher of the Year in 2017. He was an assistant professor at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and a postdoctoral research scientist at Columbia University before joining Georgia Tech in 2022.