Katia Bertoldi’s research involves the use of continuum mechanics and applied mathematics to model the mechanical behavior of novel materials at the small scale, such as nano-composites and biological composites.

The aim of her group is to establish relationships between the internal structure of a material and its mechanical properties. The greater understanding of existing and potential discovery of new materials, especially those with improved and even ‘tunable’ properties, have direct use in many critical fields, including acoustics, optics, and electronics.

Her primary areas of interest include: continuum mechanics analyses of behavior of modern materials; buckling and instabilities; waves propagation; constitutive modeling of polymers; computational mechanics; fracture mechanics; applied mathematics; and the mechanical behavior of biological materials.

Prior to her appointment at Harvard, Bertoldi was an Assistant Professor at the University of Twente in the Netherlands. She earned a Ph.D. in Mechanics of Materials and Structures from the University of Trento in Italy; an International Masters in Structural Engineering from Chalmers University of Technology in Goteborg, Sweden; and a Laurea Degree in Civil Engineering from University of Trento.