November 10, 2026 New Mechanical Engineering Faculty: Daniel Pickard Written By: Caitlin Scott Departments: Mechanical Engineering Categories: Faculty Daniel Pickard will join the Department of Mechanical Engineering as an Assistant Professor in January 2027! Daniel Pickard Daniel’s research is concerned with the computational prediction of aerospace material and structural failure under coupled thermal, chemical and mechanical loads. He develops theories, algorithms, and large-scale simulations that can enable the analysis of aerospace systems and reveal new mechanistic insights into multiphysics processes. Exciting applications span the full lifetime of a flight vehicle and include refractory component manufacturing, rocket engine nozzle erosion, and atmospheric entry-induced damage. Daniel earned his BS, MS, and PhD degrees in Aeronautics and Astronautics from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). He is currently completing a postdoc at MIT.