UA Little Rock Welcomes New Engineering Professor Shweta Dabetwar
Dr. Shweta Dabetwar has joined the University of Arkansas at Little Rock as a new assistant professor of mechanical engineering.
“The college is excited to welcome Dr. Shweta Dabetwar, who is the latest member of our growing Mechanical Engineering program in the School of Engineering and Engineering Technology,” said Dr. Lawrence Whitman, dean of the Donaghey College of Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics. “We all see the value of technology, but materials are what enables all other technologies as we still must deal with the physical. Dr. Dabetwar brings expertise in incorporating Artificial Intelligence in materials, and her research has the potential to radically change our future. The future for our students and the world is bright.”
Dabetwar joins UA Little Rock with a background in structural health monitoring, prognostics, artificial intelligence, diagnostics, photogrammetry, and infrared imaging. She is skilled in using artificial intelligence methods to detect damage in composite materials, which can range from wind turbines to buildings to airplanes.
“My research focuses on diagnostics of composite materials using AI,” Dabetwar said. “This can be applied to any size of structure from the micro level to bridges and airplanes. The problem with composite materials is that you cannot see the damage with the naked eye. This research helps detect damage and predicts how long the component is going to survive. We’ve seen sudden failures of wind turbine blades, which can cause catastrophic damage and loss of life. Companies often have to dismantle an aircraft and check every component to determine what is wrong. This takes a long time, and my research is a method that can increase the diagnostic speed of composite materials.”
Her current research projects include using AI and thermal imaging to detect faults in wind turbine blades; large-scale structure condition monitoring using drones; and predicting the life of lithium-ion batteries using advanced deep learning methods.
Dabetwar earned a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering from the University of Mumbai in India as well as a Ph.D. in mechanical engineering from Texas Tech University. She joined UA Little Rock from the University of Massachusetts, where she worked as a postdoctoral research associate studying thermal imaging, remote sensing, computer vision, and artificial intelligence.
Her research at the University of Massachusetts included a U.S. Office of Naval Research-funded project to use photogrammetry, infrared imaging, and remote sensing for structural monitoring and energy efficiency characterization of energy infrastructure as well as another research project using infrared imaging from drones and AI to detect damage in buildings.
She also has a passion to help women advance their careers in STEM. Her dedication extends beyond the classroom, as she actively mentors young women starting their careers and provides them with the support network necessary to excel in traditionally male-dominated industries.
“During my career, I have realized there is a lot of resistance for women in STEM,” Dabetwar said. “I want to increase the representation of women in STEM, especially engineering, and am working toward that as a SPARK Faculty member.”
Dabetwar serves as mentor in the SPARK Faculty program, which helps ensure women in STEM are successful in finding faculty positions.