Faculty Directory

Azarm, Shapour

Azarm, Shapour

Professor of Mechanical Engineering; Professor of Applied Mathematics & Statistics, and Scientific Computation Program
Director, Design Decision Support Lab
Mechanical Engineering
Center for Risk and Reliability
2155 Glenn L. Martin Hall, Building 088
Website(s):

EDUCATION:

  • Ph.D., Mechanical Engineering, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan

BACKGROUND:

Shapour Azarm completed his Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor. He then joined the University of Maryland, College Park, where he is a Professor of Mechanical Engineering and an Affiliate Professor of Applied Mathematics & Statistics, and Scientific Computation Program. He is the Founding Director of Design Decision Support Laboratory. His research interests have been centered on engineering design optimization of multi-objective and multi-disciplinary systems (systems of systems), decision support systems, and design for market systems. His current research is on (i) predictive maintenance optimization of unmanned systems, (ii) multi-objective robust and flexible design optimization under uncertainty, (iii) surrogate optimization with applications in quality part and additive manufacturing process design, and (iv) multi-vehicle routing optimization considering vehicle recharging time and failure incidents.

His research program has been funded by various government agencies and industry, including AFOSR, AFRL, NASA, NAVAIR, NSF, NSWC, ONR, Stanley Black & Decker, Northrop Grumman, and Lockheed Martin.  His former students are/were employed as a faculty member, scientist, or engineer at universities, government agencies and industry in the United States and overseas, including Cornell University, Johns Hopkins University, Naval Postgraduate School, Washington State University, American University, Seattle University, University of California, San Diego, University of Maryland, College Park, University of Michigan-Shanghai Jiao Tong University Joint Institute, Amazon, Boeing, Edwards Lifesciences, Meta/Facebook, Ford, General Motors, Goodman Manufacturing, Shell, Stryker, SpaceX, and MIT’s Lincoln Lab.

Dr. Azarm is a Senior Advisor of (journal) Structural and Multidisciplinary Optimization (SMO),  was Editor-in-Chief of Journal of Mechanical Design (ASME Transactions),  Review Editor of SMO, an Editorial Board Member of International Journal of Reliability and Safety, Associate Editor of (journal of) Mechanics-Based Design of Structures and Machines, Associate Editor of the ASME Journal of Mechanical Design, and Guest Co-Editor of special issues of ASME Journal of Mechanical Design on “Robust and Reliability Based Design”, and “Designing Complex Engineered Systems”. Dr. Azarm is currently serving as Chair of the ASME Technical Committee on Publications and Communications (TCPC). TCPC has the supervision of activities concerned with the dissemination of technical information associated with all ASME journals. He is a member of the ASME Machine Design Award Committee. He served as Publication Chair of the ASME Design Engineering Division (DED), one of the largest divisions of the ASME. He served as Chair of the ASME DED Advisory Committee, Chair of the Design Engineering Division Executive Committee, and Chair of the ASME Design Automation Committee. He is a Past Conference Chair and Paper Review Chair of the ASME Design Automation Conference.

He has received numerous awards, including ASME Design Automation Award, ASME Robert E. Abbott Award, ASME Machine Design Award, and most recently the ASME Dedicated Service Award. Dr. Azarm is a Fellow and Life Member of the ASME.

SELECT HONORS AND AWARDS:
  • ASME Dedicated Service Award. This award was established in 1983 and “honors unusual dedicated voluntary service to the Society marked by outstanding performance, demonstrated effective leadership, prolonged and committed service, devotion, enthusiasm and faithfulness,” 2024.
  • ASME Machine Design Award. This award was established in 1958 and “recognizes eminent achievement or distinguished service in the field of machine design which is considered to include application, research, development, or teaching of machine design,” 2023.
  • ASME Robert E. Abbott Award. Awarded annually to a Design Engineering Division (DED) society member who has “served the Division beyond the call of duty," 2016.​​​
  • ASME/Ford Best Paper Award. Co-author of a paper that received the ASME/Ford Best Paper Award in the 2009 ASME Design Automation Conference, 2009.
  • ASME Design Automation Award. The award citation reads: “For his sustained and meritorious contributions to research in Design Automation, specifically in computational design optimization and engineering design decision making,” 2007.
  • ASME Fellow, 2004 and Life Member, 2021.
  • ASEE Faculty Fellowships: NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Summer 1994; Naval Surface Warfare Center-Carderock Division, Summer 1995.
  • Procter & Gamble Paper Award, 2nd National Applied Mechanisms and Robotics Conference, Cincinnati, Ohio, 1991. 
  • Procter & Gamble Paper Award, 1st National Applied Mechanisms and Robotics Conference, Cincinnati, Ohio, 1989. 
  • Westinghouse Professorship, 1988.

EDITORSHIPS:

  • Editor-in-Chief, Journal of Mechanical Design (ASME Transactions)
  • Review Editor and Senior Advisor, Structural and Multidisciplinary Optimization
  • Associate Editor, Mechanics Based Design of Structures and Machines 
  • Editorial Board Member, International Journal of Reliability and Safety
  • Guest Editor, Journal of Mechanical Design (ASME Transactions), special Issues on “Designing Complex Engineered Systems” and on “Robust and Reliability Based Design”

PROFESSIONAL SOCIETY:

  • American Society of Mechanical Engineers, Fellow and Life Member
  • International Society of Multiple Criteria Decision Making (MCDM), Member
  • International Society for Structural and Multidisciplinary Optimization (ISSMO), Member

PROFESSIONAL SERVICE:

  • Chair, ASME Technical Committee on Publications and Communications, 2025-2027
  • Member/Vice Chair, ASME Technical Committee on Publications and Communications, 2021-2024
  • Publications Chair, ASME Design Engineering Division, 2019-2021.
  • Member, Scientific Committee, 13th World Congress in Structural and Multidisciplinary Optimization (WCSMO13), May 20-24, 2019, Beijing, China
  • Member, International Scientific Committee of EngOpt 2018 - 6th International Conference on Engineering Optimization, Instituto Superior Tecnico, University of Lisbon, Portugal, 17-19 September 2018
  • Member, International Scientific Committee, 4th International Conference in Engineering Optimization (EngOpt 2014), Lisbon, Portugal, September 8-11, 2014
  • Member, ASME Design Automation Award Selection Committee, 2012 & 2014
  • Chair, International Papers Committee, 10th World Congress on Structural and Multidisciplinary Optimization (WCSMO-10), Orlando, Florida, May 19-25, 2013
  • Member, International Scientific Committee, 3rd International Conference in Engineering Optimization (EngOpt 2012), Rio de Janeiro, July 1-5, 2012
  • Operating Board Member (2010-2013): ASME Systems & Design Group (S&DG), one of the largest ASME groups (with about 33,000 members) consisting of seven divisions, including: Computers and Information in Engineering Division (CIE); Design Engineering Division (DED); Dynamic Systems & Control Division (DSCD); Electronic & Photonic Packaging Division (EPPD); Fluid Power Systems & Technology Division (FPST); Information Storage & Processing Systems Division (ISPS); Micro-Electro-Mechanical Systems Division (MEMS)
  • Member-At-Large (2010-2013): ASME Committee on Division Operations and Training (CDOT)
  • Member of International Papers Committee, World Congress in Structural and Multidisciplinary Optimization (WCSMO9), Shizuoka, Japan, June 13-17, 2011 – One of six reviewers of about 400 abstracts
  • Member of International Scientific Committee, World Congress in Structural and Multidisciplinary Optimization, Shizuoka, Japan, June 13-17, 2011
  • Member of Advisory Committee, ASME Journal of Computing and Information Science In Engineering (2010)
  • Paper Review Coordinator for many Special Sessions, ASME Design Automation Conference, 2008-2011
  • Chair, ASME Design Engineering Division’s Advisory Committee, Chair (July 2007 - June 2008), Member, 2008 - 2012
  • ASME Design Engineering Division’s (DED’s) Executive Committee
    • Secretary (July 2002 - June 2003)
    • IDETC Executive (July 2003 - June 2005) 
    • Vice Chair and Treasurer (July 2005 - June 2006) 
    • Chair (July 2006 - June 2007) 
    • Immediate Past Chair (July 2007 - June 2008) 
  • Member, ASME Design Engineering Division Abbot Award Committee (2005)
  • Past Member, Journal Relations committee, ASME Design Engineering Division
  • International Organizing Committee Member, Third International Conference on Evolutionary Multi-criterion Optimization (EMO 2005), Mexico
  • Chair, ASME Design Automation Committee, August 1996-September 1997
  • Conference Chair, 22nd ASME Design Automation Conference, Irvine, CA, August 18-22, 1996

Graduate courses I usually teach include:

 

Azarm Chairs ASME TCPC, Receives Dedicated Service Award

Professor leads a committee that oversees more than 35 ASME journals.

Betelhiem Mengesha Receives NSF Graduate Fellowship

Research will focus on optimizing additive manufacturing for heat exchanger design and quality control

Azarm Wins ASME Machine Design Award

UMD professor honored for work in design optimization.

With MIPS funding, Herrmann and Azarm developing algorithm for ice forecasting app

Work will help route ice-sensing UAV fleets to problematic roads; take weather conditions into account.

Giving Spotlight: Alex Mehr

Engineer-turned-entrepreneur Alex Mehr values the opportunities afforded to him through his education at UMD.

Mehr Gift Establishes Two Funds at UMD

Alumnus gift will support graduate students and Design Decision Support Laboratory.

UMD Mechanical Engineering Alumnus Mehr Acquires Pier 1 Imports

Zoosk co-founder Alex Mehr continues his quest to revive iconic brands.

Clark School researchers test decentralized task allocation algorithms for UAV teams

Paper published in IEEE Robotics and Automation Letters evaluates UAV team communication performance in imperfect communication conditions.

Eight mechanical engineering students accepted to Future Faculty Program

The program prepares students to achieve career-long success in academia as educators and researchers.

Clark School team wins AFRL funding for swarm autonomy planning and metareasoning

The researchers will develop and evaluate hybrid centralized and decentralized multi-agent task allocation methods.

Azarm Finishes Tenure as Technical Editor of ASME JMD

Azarm has served as TE for the journal since 2013.

Spotlight on NAVAIR-Funded Research at Maryland

Cooperative agreement between UMD and NAWCAD helps support research projects in Mechanical Engineering.

Graduate Students Selected as Future Faculty Fellows

Seven graduate students were chosen as Clark School Future Faculty Fellows this year.

Azarm Awarded ASME Robert E. Abbott Award

Mechanical Engineering Professor Shapour Azarm named recipient of 2016 ASME Robert E. Abbott Award.

ME Alumni Alex Mehr Receives Clark School Early Career Award

UMD alumni and Zoosk Founder Alex Mehr (Ph.D., '03) receives one of three inaugural Clark School Early Career Awards

UMD Researchers Win $1.5 Million Department of Energy Award to Improve Home Cooling Efficiency

The Center for Environmental Energy Engineering to collaborate with the Oak Ridge National Laboratory.

Professor Shapour Azarm Appointed as Editor-in-Chief of ASME Journal of Mechanical Design

Professor Azarm will begin the appointment at prestigious journal on January 1.

DeWALT Donates Tools, Equipment to Mechanical Engineering Department

Longtime ME supporter provides the department with tools to build the future.

ASME Welcomes Shapour Azarm as Faculty Advisor

ME professor will assist the UMD student chapter.

PI Holds 1st Annual Research Workshop

ME delegation travels to Abu Dhabi to promote research collaborations.

Professor and Co-authors Win ASME Award

Azarm and former students receive "Best Paper Award."

Clark School Sweeps OTC Awards

Thin battery, nano-velcro and key exchange system named top UM inventions.

Azarm Selected as Review Editor for Prestigious Journal

Professor Shapour Azarm selected to be Review Editor of SMO

Energy Education and Research Collaboration Conducts First Workshop

Maryland faculty and Petroleum Institute review cooperation success of past year.

ME Grads Join University Faculty Across the Nation

Department congratulates ME alumni who recently joined the faculty of universities across the nation.

Azarm Awarded Prestigious ASME Award

Azarm to be Awarded ASME Design Automation Award during IDETC2007.

Mechanical Engineering Recognizes Faculty Accomplishments

Edward B. Magrab honored at reception recognizing distinguished service to campus and department.

Professor Shapour Azarm Begins Tenure as ASME Division Chair

Professor Shapour Azarm has begun his tenure as ASME Division Chair serving through June 2007.

Mechanical Engineering Honors Prof. James Wallace & Faculty

Mechanical Engineering faculty were honored at the Faculty Recognition Event and Dinner on Friday, May 12.

ME Professor Shapour Azarm Appointed Associate Editor of ASME Journal

He is also the Associate Editor of Mechanics Based Design of Structures and Machines since January 1998.

DR. SHAPOUR AZARM ELEVATED TO ASME FELLOW

Dr. Shapour Azarm has been elevated to the status of Fellow within the ASME.

Professor Shapour Azarm Receives Grant from National Science Foundation

Professor of Mechanical Engineering Shapour Azarm received a grant for $370,363 from the National Science Foundation.

Eight Mechanical Engineering Faculty Present at ASME Conference

Eight faculty members from the Department of Mechanical Engineering attended, presented, and were divisional chairs at the 2001 ASME Conference.

2001 NSF Design, Service & Manufacturing Grantees & Research Conference Faculty Presentations

Five ME faculty present their research at the 2001 NSF Design, Service & Manufacturing Grantees & Research Conference.

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