ASCE has honored Vikram S. Deshpande, Ph.D., with the 2024 Zdenek P. Bazant Medal for Failure and Damage Prevention for pioneering contributions to damage and failure prevention of metal alloys, lattice-cored sandwich structures, and micro-architected materials across length scales.
Deshpande is a leading authority in failure modeling in complex materials, including architected solids and electromechanical systems. His work combines deep theoretical understanding with insightful experiments to grasp complex phenomena over a wide range of topics, ranging from the failure of structures by shock waves due to blast loading to the fracture of solid electrolytes in Li-ion batteries. He has mentored many high-profile researchers in these topics, and has received a large number of citations in the research literature. Deshpande’s many awards include International Member, National Academy of Engineering and fellow, Royal Academy of Engineering (UK).
The award may be made in even-numbered years to an individual whose career demonstrates significant contributions to the engineering science of failure and damage prevention in the form of a scientific paper, book, patent, or other forms of scientific invention.
