Skip to content

Meet Our New Faculty: Jacinto Ulloa

01/20/2025
Jacinto Ulloa professional portrait, wearing glasses and a dark-colored shirt.

Jacinto Ulloa recently joined the University of Michigan Department of Mechanical Engineering as an assistant professor. Ulloa earned his PhD in 2022 from KU Leuven, Belgium, and completed his undergraduate education in civil engineering at Universidad de Cuenca, Ecuador.

Prior to joining ME, Ulloa was a postdoctoral scholar at the California Institute of Technology, where his work focused on the micromechanics of complex systems, multiscale analysis, and data-driven computing.

Q. What is your primary area of research? Why is this area of study so important to the engineering community?

My research focuses on developing mathematical and computational models to understand and predict the behavior of solids and complex systems. Materials respond to external actions in various ways — solids, for example, deform under loading and may fail or break. They also interact with their environment, such as when exposed to fluids or chemicals. These processes pose significant scientific challenges and play a critical role in engineering systems across disciplines. By addressing these challenges, my work aims to provide computational tools for understanding material behavior, optimizing performance, and supporting sustainable engineering solutions.

Q. Can you tell us a bit about what you are working on right now? 

My current efforts focus on developing efficient and predictive methods to simulate how different materials behave across spatial scales, linking microscopic details — the tiny structures within a material — to larger-scale properties, like stiffness or strength. Rather than relying on conventional heuristic methods, we are directly integrating microscopic behavior into macroscopic simulations using mathematical techniques and experimental data.

This approach has many ongoing applications. For example, consider lightweight materials with repeating patterns, such as honeycombs. By studying the properties of individual cells, we predict how these materials will carry loads or resist deformation at larger scales. Similarly, for disordered materials like sand or coffee beans, where the arrangement of particles is irregular, we combine experimental data and virtual testing to understand the microscale behavior and integrate it into simulations that predict how these materials deform or crush under load. Another example is in biomechanics, where we investigate the behavior of cells and tissues to understand their response to mechanical forces and their relation to biological processes.

Q. What are you most looking forward to as an assistant professor with U-M Mechanical Engineering?

I am excited about the opportunity to collaborate with the diverse and talented community at U-M. In particular, the ME department provides an excellent setting to contribute to advancements in computational mechanics while exploring a broad range of interdisciplinary research areas. I also look forward to mentoring students and postdocs, supporting their development as emerging researchers, and leading innovative research initiatives within my group. Similarly, I am eager to engage in teaching activities that promote curiosity and critical thinking.

Q. Why did you choose to join the faculty at U-M ME?

U-M ME is a top-tier school with amazing research opportunities, significant resources, and a notably diverse range of expertise among the faculty. In addition, I was immediately drawn to the incredible energy and enthusiasm — both students and staff are genuinely excited to be here. This combination makes it an ideal place to engage in cutting-edge research and collaborate with talented people from different backgrounds, while also enjoying the atmosphere on a personal level. Ann Arbor’s vibrancy further adds to this, making it an exciting place to live and work.

To learn more about Ulloa’s research, visit the Ulloa Research Group website.

Examples of computer simulations of materials under load. Left: micromechanical simulation of crushable grains under compression. Right: macroscopic simulation of fracture in a ductile solid. Video credit: Jacinto Ulloa.

Faculty featured in this story