Research Team

Vatsa Gandhi is the current Ashby Postdoctoral Fellow at the University of Cambridge and will join UCLA MAE as an Assistant Professor from January 2025. Vatsa received his Ph.D. in Aeronautics from California Institute of Technology (2023) where he was awarded the Donald Coles Prize for the best design of experiments and experimental equipment. He received a B.S. in Aerospace Engineering from the University of Texas at Austin (2018), and an M.S. from Caltech (2019). At Caltech, he focused on the physics of shock-induced phase transformations, dynamic strength of metals and glasses, and shock wave structuring in composites. Currently, his research focuses on developing new techniques for in-situ material testing using x-rays to characterize the rate-dependent physics and fracture of discrete architected solids. His awards include first place in the 2022 Michael Sutton International Student Paper Competition of the Society for Experimental Mechanics (SEM), and the Best Oral Presentation Award at the 2023 APS GSCCM Early Career and Student Symposium.