Sheikh Fahad Ferdous, Ph.D.

Dr. Ferdous is currently working as an Assistant Professor in mechanical engineering at Penn State Harrisburg. Before joining Penn State Harrisburg, he was an Assistant Professor at Indiana State University. Prior to that, he served as a Lecturer at the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth and as a Visiting Assistant Professor at Binghamton University – SUNY.

Dr. Ferdous has over a decade of computational experience using molecular dynamics simulations to study the mechanics of various materials, including ceramic composites, metals, biomaterials, and polymer composites. His teaching interests include capstone design, mechanics of materials, machine design, materials science, kinematics, and engineering economics. The core theme of Dr. Ferdous’s research is the development of multiscale computational models to understand the mechanical performance of advanced structural and biological materials. One of his research directions is investigating the fracture behavior of armor steel in a corrosive environment. Armor steel is a high-hardness steel (hardness ≥ 500) designed to meet specific standards and requirements. Due to microstructural changes during manufacturing, high-hardness steels often exhibit low toughness, making them more vulnerable to catastrophic failure in corrosive environments. This raises concerns about structural integrity and safety. Investigating steel degradation at the atomic level is essential to understanding the complex mechanisms underlying corrosion-induced failures. This research is conducted in collaboration with the U.S. Naval Research Laboratory.

Another research focus is recovering high-value energy materials from wastewater. Extracting these materials from aqueous waste streams is a promising approach to reducing the costs associated with domestic ammonia (NH₃) production and the extraction of critical metals, while also helping to lower greenhouse gas emissions. This research is conducted in collaboration with Idaho National Laboratory.

Dr. Ferdous is also involved in multiscale modeling and characterization of cytoskeletal components, which are responsible for maintaining cell shape and providing mechanical support. Understanding and predicting their mechanical behavior is crucial for advancing knowledge in cellular mechanics. This research is conducted in collaboration with the University of Texas at Arlington.

Another research direction focuses on designing patient- and injury-specific self-sensing bone scaffolds with optimized mechanical and biological properties. Bone tissue defects are a growing concern worldwide, affecting millions of people due to trauma, skeletal diseases, tumor resections, osteoporosis-related fractures, congenital bone malformations, and aging. There is an urgent need for bone regeneration solutions, and bone scaffolds play a pivotal role in supporting cellular response and proliferation. This research is conducted in collaboration with the University of South Florida and Indiana State University.