• Associate Professor, Mechanical Engineering
  • Associate Department Head for Graduate Programs, Mechanical Engineering
  • Gulf Oil/Thomas A. Dietz Career Development Professor I
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Richard Malak

Educational Background

  • Ph.D., Mechanical Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology — 2008
  • M.S., Mechanical Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology — 2005
  • M.S., Electrical and Computer Engineering, Carnegie Mellon University — 2000
  • B.E., Electrical and Computer Engineering, Stony Brook University — 1998

Research Interests

    • Computational methods (including optimization, machine learning, AI) for supporting engineering systems design
    • Decision making in engineering systems design
    • Design and systems engineering theory
    • Applications to materials design, smart structures, and complex engineered systems

Awards & Honors

  • 2021 James J. Cain ’51 Faculty Graduate Teaching Award, Department of Mechanical Engineering, Texas A&M University
  • 2020 SEIKM Best Paper Award, ASME CIE Conference for A. Chatterjee, R. Malak and A. Layton “Exploring System of Systems Resilience vs. Affordability Trade-Space using a Bio-Inspired Metric” in Proceedings of the ASME 2020 International Design Engineering Technical Conferences and Computers in Engineering Conference (IDETC/CIE)
  • 2020 DAC Best Paper Award, ASME IDETC Conference for T. Kirk and R. Arroyave and R. Malak “Computational Design of Compositional Graded Alloys for Property Monotonicity” in Proceedings of the ASME 2020 International Design Engineering Technical Conferences and Computers in Engineering Conference (IDETC/CIE)
  • 2020 DAC Paper of Distinction, ASME IDETC Conference for J. Weaver-Rosen and R. Malak “Efficient Parametric Optimization for Expensive Single Objective Problems” in Proceedings of the ASME 2020 International Design Engineering Technical Conferences and Computers in Engineering Conference (IDETC/CIE)
  • 2017-present Gulf Oil/Thomas A. Dietz Career Development Professor I
  • 2014 Texas A&M Engineering Experiment Station (TEES) Young Faculty Fellow Award
  • 2014 Lockheed Martin Teaching Excellence Award, College of Engineering, Texas A&M University
  • 2014 Morris E. Foster Faculty Fellow I in Mechanical Engineering, College of Engineering, Texas A&M University
  • 2014 Engineering Genesis Award for Multidisciplinary Research, College of Engineering, Texas A&M University. Given in recognition of success in leading large-scale multidisciplinary research projects at Texas A&M
  • 2013 Peggy L. and Charles L. Brittan ’65 Teaching Award for Outstanding Undergraduate Teaching, Department of Mechanical Engineering, Texas A&M University

Selected Publications

  • Chatterjee, A., Malak, R.J. and Layton, A. (2021). “Exploring System of Systems Resilience vs. Affordability Tradespace using a Bio-Inspired Metric” ASME Journal of Computers and Information in Science and Engineering. 21(5). doi: 10.1115/1.4050288
  • Weaver-Rosen, J. M. and Malak, R.J. (2021). “Efficient Parametric Optimization for Expensive Single-Objective Problems” ASME Journal of Mechanical Design. 143(3). Doi: 10.1115/1.4049519.
  • Vermillion, S. and Malak, R. (2020) “An Investigation on Requirement and Objective Allocation Strategies using a Principal-Agent Model” Systems Engineering. 23(1). DOI: 10.1002/sys.21511.
  • Kirk, T., Galvan, E., Malak, R. and Arroyave, R. (2018) “Computational Design of Gradient Paths in Additively Manufactured Functionally Graded Materials” ASME Journal of Mechanical Design. 140(11).
  • Peraza-Hernandez, E., Hartl, D., Malak, R.J., and Lagoudas, D. (2014) “Origami Inspired Active Structures: A Synthesis and Review,” Smart Materials and Structures. 23(9) 094001.
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