Overview
Professor John E. Dolbow came to Duke University from Northwestern University, where he received an MS and PhD in Theoretical and Applied Mechanics. During the course of his graduate study, John was a Computational Science Graduate Fellow for the Department of Energy, and he spent a summer working at Los Alamos National Laboratory. Dr. Dolbow's research concerns the development of computational methods for nonlinear problems in solid mechanics. In particular, he is interested in the use of modern computational methods to model quasi-static and dynamic fracture of structural components and the evolution of interfaces. A native of New Hampshire, Dr. Dolbow received his Bachelor's Degree in mechanical engineering from the University of New Hampshire. In 2020, he became an Assistant Vice President for Research for Duke University.
Current Appointments & Affiliations
Professor in the Thomas Lord Department of Mechanical Engineering and Materials Science
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2018 - Present
Thomas Lord Department of Mechanical Engineering and Materials Science,
Pratt School of Engineering
Professor of Mathematics
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2014 - Present
Mathematics,
Trinity College of Arts & Sciences
Professor in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering
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2018 - Present
Civil and Environmental Engineering,
Pratt School of Engineering
Bass Fellow
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2014 - Present
Thomas Lord Department of Mechanical Engineering and Materials Science,
Pratt School of Engineering
Recent Publications
Nine circles of elastic brittle fracture: A series of challenge problems to assess fracture models
Journal Article Computer Methods in Applied Mechanics and Engineering · January 1, 2026 Since the turn of the millennium, capitalizing on modern advances in mathematics and computation, a slew of computational models have been proposed in the literature with the objective of describing the nucleation and propagation of fracture in materials s ... Full text CiteExamining crack nucleation under spatially uniform stress states with a complete phase-field model for fracture
Journal Article Theoretical and Applied Fracture Mechanics · December 1, 2025 This work concerns crack nucleation problems in elastic brittle materials subjected to stress states that are spatially uniform or nearly so. Such conditions arise under a wide range of settings, including standard tests of material strength. This class of ... Full text CiteEmbedded FEM with strongly-enforced interface conditions for incompressible flow with moving boundaries
Journal Article Computer Methods in Applied Mechanics and Engineering · October 1, 2025 We present an embedded finite element method for solving the incompressible Navier–Stokes equations on complex or moving domains while using a fixed structured background mesh. The key component of our approach is a ghost node framework that modifies basis ... Full text CiteRecent Grants
Assessment of the Optimal Settings of TFL for Laser Lithotripsy and Associated Thermal Injury Risk
ResearchCo Investigator · Awarded by National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases · 2025 - 2028Normal is not normal: Resolving severe mechanical environments through models, methods, and discovery
ResearchPrincipal Investigator · Awarded by Sandia National Laboratories · 2024 - 2027ACRR Fuel Performance Modeling
ResearchPrincipal Investigator · Awarded by Sandia National Laboratories · 2022 - 2026View All Grants
Education, Training & Certifications
Northwestern University ·
1999
Ph.D.
Northwestern University ·
1998
M.S.
University of New Hampshire ·
1995
B.S.M.E.