Kristen Susuki
Structural Engineering
- Profile
Profile
Kristen is a fourth-generation Japanese American PhD student in the Department of Structural Engineering. Born and raised in the suburbs of St. Louis, Missouri, Kristen grew up very close with her parents and older brother and gained an affinity for the Gateway to the West. For college, she stayed true to her Midwestern roots and attended the University of Wisconsin-Madison—where she obtained her Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering and Certificate in International Engineering. Throughout her undergraduate career, Kristen balanced many jobs to help financially support her education; she worked as an on-campus tutor, research assistant, teaching assistant, and intern for Sierra Nevada Corporation in both the Materials and Processes and Structural Analysis departments. Kristen also actively pursues her love for travel. She has traveled to forty-three U.S. states and twenty-three countries, spanning four continents. Academically, she is interested in solid mechanics and finite element methods. Her research will focus on meshfree methods development under the guidance of Professor J.S. Chen. Kristen is eager to increase female representation in her field of mechanics and in STEM higher education in general, and she cannot wait to see what her move from the Gateway to the West to the West Coast will bring.