Yatin Shankar Narayanan, a second-year MSE Mechanical Engineering student, has been awarded the 2024-25 Rackham International Student Fellowship.
The Fellowship supports outstanding international students who are enrolled in a Rackham program on the University of Michigan-Ann Arbor campus. Awardees are nominated by their program and chosen based on academic record, degree progress, and academic and professional promise.
Narayanan specializes in computational mechanics and is part of the Hybrid Dynamic Robotics Laboratory led by Xiaonan Huang, assistant professor of robotics. He completed his undergraduate studies in mechanical engineering at the National Institute of Technology Tiruchirappalli in Tamil Nadu, India. Narayanan has participated in multiple research projects revolving around finite element analysis, computational mechanics, and mechanical design.
“As an international student with a strong academic record and research experience, I was motivated to apply for this fellowship,” Narayanan said. “With this being one of the most competitive awards in Rackham, I am extremely honored to be chosen as an awardee, as this signifies the recognition of my efforts. Being someone who always goes above and beyond what is asked for, this motivates me to push myself further, enabling me to become better than the best version of myself.”
After the completion of his graduate program, Narayanan plans to pursue a career in research and development as a CAD/CAE engineer.
“With a significant portion of my graduate studies being complete, I am extremely grateful for the experience at the University of Michigan, as I have seen myself grow into a confident engineer equipped with theoretical knowledge, practical experience, and professional skills, ready to take on new challenges.”