About Raj Jayachandran

BSME 1983, Madras University, India
ME 1985, Indian Institute of Science, India
PhD 1991, University of Missouri-Rolla (UMR)

Upon graduating from UMR with a doctoral degree in Engineering Mechanics, Raj joined Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) as a post-doctoral associate and worked on constitutive modeling of plastic materials developing explicit numerical approach in ABAQUS finite element code. In 1993, he moved to Detroit to establish his career at Ford Motor Company. For all these years, he has developed and applied his expertise in vehicle crash simulations to design vehicle structures to meet or exceed federal motor vehicle safety standards (FMVSS). In 2016, he received Henry Ford Technology Award for his work on highly efficient crush can design for crash energy absorption with 2” reduction in vehicle structure by morphing its section along the length using the finite element method. Through his work at Ford, he has secured about a dozen patents related to design of vehicle structures. Currently, Raj is a technical specialist in Core Crash Safety department of product development center at Ford Motor Company.

Raj and his wife, Chaandini reside in Canton, MI. Chaandini is also a graduate of UMR and received her MS degree in Chemistry. Currently, she is a Clinical Researcher in the Pediatric ICU at the University of Michigan’s Mott Children’s Hospital. They have 2 children. Prithvi, son, is a Biomedical & Mechanical Engineer working in the area of medical devices and software. Sharanya, daughter, is a 3rd year resident doctor specializing in Pediatrics at Mott Children’s Hospital of the University of Michigan.

Raj volunteers as national Technical Coordinator for North South Foundation more than 15 years now and works with a team of professors and professionals conducting yearly educational contests promoting learning journey for children of kindergarten to high school. He also is the Founder, Teacher, President and on the Board of Directors of CafeMI Inc., a non-profit local community organization of volunteers coaching math and public speaking on Saturdays for elementary and middle school children living in and around Canton, MI for more than 10 years.