About
Dr. Isha Gupta joined the Department of Aeronautics and Astronautics at University of Southampton as a Lecturer/Assistant Professor in September 2024. Prior to this, she was a postdoctoral researcher in the Aerospace Materials and Structures Lab at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. She received her Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Michigan and her Masters in Mechanical Engineering from the Indian Institute of Science.
Isha’s research interests lie in the broad area of mechanics of materials in extreme environments, with special focus on advanced coatings and in-situ oxide films. These overlayers protect structural materials (e.g., Ni superalloys, refractory metals, and CMCs) against thermal and environmental degradation, thus enabling a reliable and efficient operation. By integrating physics-based modelling of material failure with novel experiments, Isha’s work aims to guide the design of high-performance coatings and oxidation-resistant alloys for next-generation aerospace technologies.
Besides research, Isha is passionate about the education of future Aerospace and Mechanical Engineers. She has formally taught courses in Solid Mechanics, Finite Element Analysis, and Materials Failure at the University of Michigan and has guest lectured on Computational Thermomechanics and Fracture Mechanics at MIT. Her goal of promoting diversity and inclusion in STEM motivated her to mentor students as part of MIT’s Women in Technology Program and MIT’s Summer Research Program for Underrepresented Minorities.