E-mail me at:
imdo [at] princeton [dot] edu
Current position
I'm a Postdoctoral Researcher at the Laboratory for Intelligent Probabilistic Systems, working with Prof. Ryan P. Adams in the Computer Science Department at Princeton University. Motivated by my doctoral work on the mechanics of kirigami structures, my current research focuses on combining physics-based structural modeling with machine learning methods to enable accelerated design and optimization of complex structural systems.
Academic background
I received my Ph.D. in Civil Engineering from Princeton University, USA (2020-2025), where I was a member of the Form Finding Lab, advised by Prof. Sigrid Adriaenssens. My doctoral research explored the mechanics of kirigami. In particular, I investigated how patterned cuts applied to thin sheets enable flexible materials to deploy into stiff, lightweight 3D lattice structures. Through a combination of experiments, simulations, and parametric studies, I demonstrated how kirigami can be used to engineer stiffness and transform delicate metal sheets into load-bearing, meter-scale structural components. This work was supported by the NSF Institute for Data Driven Dynamical Design.
Prior to this, I earned a Master of Science in Structural Engineering from the University of São Paulo, Brazil (2016-2019). There, I developed a custom connection system for rigid gridshell structures with advice from Prof. Ruy Pauletti and in collaboration with Prof. Leila Meneghetti.
I also hold a B.Sc. in Civil Engineering from Pontifícia Universidade Católica do Rio de Janeiro (PUC-Rio) (2010-2015), and spent an academic year abroad at Cornell University in 2013.
Industry background
I worked at Arup Brazil, first as a project management intern (2014-2015) in projects such as the Rio Metro Line 4 South review, and then as a structural engineer (2015-2016), designing prestressed concrete beams in a residential building by Zaha Hadid Architects. Before that, I interned at Todd Zwigard Architects in the summer of 2013.