Dr. James Guest

Biography

James K. Guest is a professor and the Hackerman Family Department Head in the Department of Civil and Systems Engineering at Johns Hopkins University. He is an internationally recognized leader in the field of topology optimization, a mathematical approach to design that optimizes material layout given a given space. He holds a secondary appointment in the Department of Materials Science and Engineering and serves as the associate director of the Johns Hopkins Center for Additive Manufacturing and Architected Materials (JAM2) and the Center for Integrated Structure-Materials Modeling and Simulation (CISMMS). Guest's research focuses on topology optimization and the automation of design processes, leading to the development of algorithms for structuring architected materials across various applications including infrastructure, mechanical systems, biomedical devices, and aerospace technologies. He has received numerous awards including the Leonardo da Vinci award from the Engineering Mechanics Institute and the Walter L. Huber Research Prize from the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE). In 2025, he will be recognized as the inaugural Fellow of the International Society for Structural Multidisciplinary Optimization, as part of his extensive service including past chair of the Optimal Structural Design Committee of the ASCE's Structural Engineering Institute. He also serves on the editorial boards of notable journals in his field and has reviewed for more than 30 technical journals.

Research Interests

Experience

Awards