We’re recruiting undergraduate, Master’s and PhD students who want to design the next generation of composite and advanced materials, from atoms to aircraft parts.

Why join MOSAIX?

  • Work with real tools. Our lab is equipped with a Shimadzu 100 kN universal test frame, a MatchID 3D digital image correlation system, and a high-memory simulation workstation. Students also run large simulations on SLU’s Libra high-performance computing cluster.
  • Do both computation and experiments. Few labs let you build a molecular model in the morning and break a carbon-fiber specimen in the afternoon. Here you learn both, and you see how they connect.
  • Work on problems that matter. Our research targets aerospace, automotive and in-space manufacturing: lighter aircraft, safer structures, and building in space.
  • Publish and present. Students co-author papers and present their work at conferences.
  • Build skills employers want. Composite manufacturing, mechanical testing, non-destructive inspection, finite element analysis, molecular dynamics, and data analysis with Python. These skills lead to careers in aerospace, automotive, national labs and graduate school.

See what you could work on: Projects

🎓 Undergraduate students

You don’t need experience. Undergraduates in the lab:

  • learn to manufacture composites (VARTM, wet layup, compression molding),
  • run mechanical tests and measure strain with digital image correlation,
  • help with simulations and data analysis,
  • can grow their work into a senior design project, a conference poster, or a co-authored paper.

🔬 Master’s students

Master’s students lead a focused project in one area, such as experimental characterization, non-destructive evaluation or finite element modeling, and build a strong portfolio for industry or a PhD. Experience with composite manufacturing, ASTM testing, or ABAQUS/ANSYS is a plus.

💻 PhD students

PhD students drive a research thrust that spans scales, typically connecting molecular dynamics simulations to experiments and structural models. Experience with molecular dynamics is especially valuable, as is a background in mechanics, materials or aerospace engineering.

Please email to ask about current openings and funding.

What I look for

Curiosity, motivation and a willingness to learn matter more than prior experience. If you’re excited about advanced materials, computational modeling or hands-on experiments, I’d love to hear from you.

How to apply

Send an email to pruthul.kokkada@slu.edu with:

  1. the subject line “Research interest – MOSAIX Lab”,
  2. your CV or résumé,
  3. an unofficial transcript,
  4. a few sentences on which projects interest you and why.

Undergraduates at SLU are also welcome to simply stop by my office or start a conversation after class.

Email Dr. Kokkada