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the basics

Full Name Lawrence T. Smith
Email lsmith@is.mpg.de
Languages English native, German A2, Spanish B1

research interests

Computational Design for Climate Technology Existential challenges require our sharpest tools. I drive the automatic production of solutions to challenging mechanical design problems, specifically in nonlinear design spaces where human intuition struggles. Core contributions include compact and flexible design representations, accelerated numerical models of physical phenomena, and synthesis of design, simulation, and fabrication processes.
Electrostatic Transduction Soft liquid-solid dielectric systems for harvesting the energy in ocean waves.
Additive Manufacturing Squeezing the capabilities of cutting edge additive manufacturing technologies to create multiphase, multimaterial, multiscale complex artifacts.

work history

  • 2024 – 2027

    Stuttgart, DE

    Postdoctoral Researcher
    Max Planck Institute for Intelligent Systems
    Robotic Materials Department, supervised by Christoph Keplinger
    • Awarded the Alexander von Humboldt Postdoctoral Fellowship for research into harvesting ocean wave energy using electrostatics
    • Publication of electrostatic energy generator units with field-leading performance, Advanced Science
    • Led simulation efforts in investigation of vibrotactile sensing in functionally graded whiskers, Science
  • 2018 – 2023

    Boulder, CO

    Doctoral Candidate & Researcher
    University of Colorado, Boulder
    Supervised by Robert MacCurdy; dissertation on computational design and fabrication of soft structures
    • Award winning conference proceeding and subsequent IEEE journal publication presenting open-source toolkit for seamless design, simulation, and fabrication of pneumatic soft actuators
    • Designed tunable energy-absorbing metamaterials which transmit 6x lower forces and operate over 10x wider energy bandwidth for personal safety and shipping applications
  • 2018 – 2024

    Remote

    Independent Contractor, Engineering Design and Analysis
    FPrin, LLC
    Client-facing expert in numerical modeling for first-principles-based design and analysis
    • Executed and communicated finite element analysis to international medical device client, resulting in retooling of a 16 cavity production mold currently running at 10M units/month volume
    • Developed novel phase transformation model for shape memory alloys used in insulin pumps (sales >1M units/month); worked directly with Mathworks developers to implement the model
  • 2014 – 2017

    Newark, CA

    Mechanical Engineer Lv.1, Lv.2
    Triple Ring Technologies
    Numerical modeling, mechanical design, data analysis, fixture design and validation, and client communication across 20 projects in 3 years
    • Led blank-slate design and fabrication of a novel bolus delivery mechanism for a miniature wearable insulin delivery device
    • Implemented feedback controller regulating optical sensor temperature to ±1°C in a 510(k) approved oximetry device
    • Developed core competency in numerical simulation of multiphysics problems (heat transfer, fluid flow, continuum mechanics); delivered two invited technical presentations for COMSOL Inc.

education

  • 2023

    Boulder, CO

    PhD, Mechanical Engineering
    University of Colorado Boulder
  • 2019

    Boulder, CO

    MSc, Mechanical Engineering
    University of Colorado Boulder
  • 2014

    San Luis Obispo, CA

    BSc, Mechanical Engineering
    California State Polytechnic University, San Luis Obispo

competences

Numerical Analysis Abaqus, COMSOL, Ansys, FEniCS, Simulink, Solidworks Simulation
Design Solidworks (expert certification), Inventor, Pro-E, Blender, Fusion360
Fabrication Additive manufacturing, laser cutting, mill, lathe, aluminum casting
Data Processing & Presentation Matlab, Python, git, LaTeX, Inkscape, MS Office Suite

patents

  • US Patent 11007317 - Bolus delivery mechanism for a miniature wearable insulin delivery device
  • International Patent WO2021142468A1 - Temperature regulation for an optical sensor in a 510(k) approved oximetry device
  • Provisional patent pending - Tunable energy-absorbing metamaterials for impact mitigation

grants & awards

Alexander von Humboldt Postdoctoral Fellowship Two years of funding for research into harvesting ocean wave energy using soft electrostatic transducers.
AB Nexus Spring 2021 Research Collaboration Grant Earned one year of funding by designing, fabricating, and mechanically characterizing multiphase composites alongside biological tissue.
Matching Research Grant, Sandia National Laboratories Generated numerical and empirical results of high velocity impacts on tunable metamaterials, earning one year of research funding.
Best Application Paper IEEE CASE Proceedings, Lyon, France, 2021, for a seamless workflow for design and fabrication of pneumatic soft actuators.
Finalist, CU Boulder New Venture Challenge 2018 Analytical modeling and pitch delivery for an electric drivetrain retrofitting system for the freight industry.

selected publications

  • Kirkman, Schmidt, Smith, et al. "Maximizing the Energy Output of Soft Electrohydraulic Generators." Advanced Science, 2026.
  • Schulz, Kaufmann, Smith, et al. "Functional gradients facilitate tactile sensing in elephant whiskers." Science, 2026.
  • Smith and MacCurdy. "Digital Multiphase Composites via Additive Manufacturing." Advanced Materials, 2024.
  • Smith, Hayes, Ford, et al. "Tunable Metamaterials for Impact Mitigation." Advanced Materials Technologies, 2024.
  • Smith and MacCurdy. "SoRoForge: End-to-End Soft Actuator Design." IEEE Transactions on Automation Science and Engineering, 2023.
  • A complete list is available on the publications page.

teaching & outreach

  • 2018 – now
    Research Advisor
    CU Boulder and MPI-IS
    • High-touch advisor to 15+ high school, undergraduate, and graduate engineering students, generating three publications featuring these students as contributing authors
  • 2023
    Invited Speaker
    Sandia National Laboratories, RITS3 Lecture Series
    • Tunable Energy-Absorptive Metamaterials via Additive Manufacturing
  • 2023
    Invited Speaker
    Western Colorado University
    • Computational Design of Soft Structures
  • 2022
    Workshop Lead
    IEEE/RSJ International Conference on Intelligent Robots and Systems (IROS)
    • Accelerated Simulations of Soft Actuator Behavior
  • 2020
    Lecturer
    CU Boulder Summer Intensive Session
    • Introduction to Finite Elements
  • 2020
    Co-Founder
    CU Boulder 3D Printing Club