David Melancon

I am currently an Assistant Professor in the department of Mechanical Engineering at Polytechnique Montreal. Prior to joining the department, I did postdoctoral research in the Paulino group at Princeton University, a Ph.D. in Applied Mathematics in the Bertoldi group at Harvard University, and a M.Eng. in Mechanical Engineering in the Pasini group at McGill University. In my research, I study the highly nonlinear behavior of multistable structures. Taking inspiration from diverse fields such as architected materials, elastic instabilities in soft materials, and origami principles, I utilize simple geometric properties to enhance the functionality of these structures. I apply my results in the design and fabrication of large-scale deployable systems and nonlinear soft robotic actuators.