Ann C. Sychterz, Ph.D, P.Eng

I am an assistant professor in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign within the Structures Group and affiliated with the Department of Mechanical Science and Engineering. I obtained my PhD in 2018 from the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Lausanne (EPFL) addressing the novel use of control algorithms, statistical diagnostic tools, and real-time feedback on a full-scale tensegrity structure to enable smooth deployability, damage detection, adaptation, and learning (https://youtu.be/FeXxjerleZE). During my masters of applied science obtained in 2014 at the University of Waterloo (UW), I built full-scale aluminum pedestrian bridges for vibration characterization and control. I completed my bachelor of applied science in civil engineering at the University of Waterloo in 2012. Before coming to the University of Illinois, I completed a postdoctoral position at the University of Michigan through the successful Swiss National Science Foundation Early.Postdoc Mobility grant that I authored on the actuator optimization of adaptive origami structures. My research work is focused on designing, building, testing, and simulating of structures that are adaptive, lightweight, large-scale, resilient, and sustainable. I’ve been awarded funding by National Science Foundation, US Department of Transportation, Illinois Department of Transportation, Swiss National Science Foundation, and Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada.

I am a Registered Professional Engineer of Ontario, P.Eng. I’ve had industry experience in design firms such as civil and mechanical engineering at Walterfedy in Kitchener, Canada and structural engineering at MMM Group in Toronto, Canada. These large-scale interdisciplinary projects — such as Conestoga College and St. Joseph’s Healthcare in Hamilton — were focused on sustainable design and LEED certification. During my undergraduate degree, I was a captain of the UW student team for the Great Northern Concrete Toboggan Race and also served as a mentor for the concrete canoe and ASCE steel bridge student teams.

I enjoy trail running, aerial arts, hiking, biking, paddleboarding, and jazz music/dance/DJing.

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