Dr. Sanjay Govindjee

Professor

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Biography

Sanjay Govindjee is the Horace, Dorothy, Katherine Johnson Endowed Professor of Engineering at UC Berkeley. His research expertise lies in theoretical computational mechanics with a focus on micro-mechanics, shape memory alloys, and elastomers. Govindjee actively contributes as a consultant for governmental agencies and private corporations. He is a registered Professional Mechanical Engineer in California and is an active member of leading professional societies including the American Society of Mechanical Engineers and the U.S. Association for Computational Mechanics. His extensive research interests encompass modeling non-linear phenomena in solids, with special focus on coupled field effects, microelectromechanical systems (MEMS), and atomistic molecular-informed constitutive relations. Govindjee has received several prestigious accolades, including the National Science Foundation Career Award in 1998, the inaugural Zienkiewicz Prize Medal in 1998, and the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation Fellowship in 1999. In 2018, he was awarded the Humboldt Research Award. His ongoing projects include uncertainty quantification for large nonlinear systems and exploring time-dependent phenomena in liquid crystal elastomers.

Research Interests

Requirements for University of California, Berkeley

Doctorate Program
Requirements
GPA Requirement
Required:3
GRE Subject
Overall Score
Required:500
Overall
Required:500
TOEFL
Total
Required:90
IELTS
Overall
Required:7
Prerequisites
Bachelor's degree or recognized equivalent Preparation comparable to undergraduate major at Berkeley in Mathematics or Applied Mathematics 2 full years lower-division work (Calculus, Linear Algebra, Differential Equations, Multivariable Calculus) 8 one-semester upper-division courses (Real Analysis, Complex Analysis, Abstract Algebra, Linear Algebra)
Application Checklist
  • Graduate Application
  • Statement of Purpose
  • Personal History Statement
  • Three Letters of Recommendation
  • Unofficial Transcripts
  • C.V./Resume
  • Course and Textbook List
Specialization Notes

The Mathematics Subject GRE is required for the Fall 2026 admissions cycle. General GRE is optional.