From AI to automotive - Satchit Ramnath seeks to advance research in simulation
Research always intrigued Satchit Ramnath. In one way or another, he has been involved in research since his undergraduate days. However, it wasn't until he worked on the development team for the Airbus A350 that he fully began to appreciate its importance. At Arizona State University, he developed his skills further, and by the time he received his master's degree, he'd decided to pursue a career in research. For over four years, he has been a researcher at the SIMCenter, where he uses optimization tools and machine learning to develop automotive structures that exceed performance requirements.
One of Ramnath's current projects falls perfectly along those lines. It is a collaboration between Ohio State, Honda R&D America, and Honda Research Institute - EU Germany, and it consists of automatically generating a large dataset of engineering artifacts for machine learning purposes. "The dataset we generate is far superior to all the other datasets that currently exist," Ramnath says, "because we curate this data with specific details on individual features in the model and also compute its behavior and performance." Moreover, this project is made possible by the contract mechanisms that Ramnath considers to be an especially valuable SIMCenter resource, along with the ease of collaborating with faculty from other disciplines, and the work done by the business development team.
Although conducting such research still gives him the same satisfaction as when he first began his research career, Ramnath's particular interests have evolved in his four years at the SIMCenter. "When I started here," he recalls, "I was primarily working on generating CAD models and using topology optimization tools to obtain new designs." He has increased the scope of his work to include method development for topology optimization and introducing AI to product design. Meanwhile, when he's not creating virtual models, he likes to spend time traveling and rock climbing.
In the future, Ramnath would like to become a full-fledged faculty member at Ohio State, sharing his practical knowledge with the next generation. Satchit also intends to continue researching the application of AI and machine learning to product design. As Ramnath has learned, pushing one's professional and intellectual boundaries in such a way requires immense dedication. "[At times,] it can be exhausting, both physically and mentally,” Ramnath said, “but when you see your work being published and put to use, it is totally worth it!"
Learn more about Satchit here