James K. Guest, a professor and department head of the Department of Civil and Systems Engineering, is an internationally recognized leader in the field of topology optimization (a mathematical approach to design that optimizes material layout within a given space). He holds a secondary appointment in the Department of Materials Science and Engineering.
Guest’s research interests include topology optimization, additive manufacturing, materials design, structural optimization, and computational mechanics. His published algorithms, particularly those related to design for manufacturability, have been incorporated in multiple commercial software products.