Thao (Vicky) Nguyen, the Marlin U. Zimmerman, Jr. Faculty Scholar and professor in the Department of Mechanical Engineering, has been elected a Fellow of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers, a designation recognizing exceptional engineering achievements and contributions to the profession.

Only 3% of ASME members are honored in this way.

Vicky’s research focuses on biomechanics of soft tissues and soft active materials. Her lab uses an integrated experimental and modeling approach to study the biomechanics of the optic nerve head with glaucoma, fundamental mechanisms of growth and remodeling of fibrous soft tissues, nonequilibrium behavior of liquid crystal elastomers and thermoresponsive hydrogels, and mechanical behavior of recycled polymers.