PhD Spotlight: Turner Jennings, PhD’25, Mechanical Engineering
Turner Jennings, PhD’25, mechanical engineering, is a triple Husky, who earned a BS and MS in mechanical engineering at Northeastern prior to pursuing a PhD. He is advised by Sinan Müftü, College of Engineering distinguished professor of mechanical and industrial engineering. He authored a dissertation on improving helmet impact response that focused on using granular materials instead of polymeric foams to absorb impact energy. He hypothesized that, if used and designed appropriately, the frictional dissipation of energy between granules can provide a far more effective energy dissipation mechanism than the polymeric foams currently used in helmets.
Jennings made significant research contributions in three areas: the development of the first accurate computational assessment of the free vibration modes of the brain; the detailed measurements of the head-to-helmet contact forces to understand the mechanics of helmet fitting; and the characterization of the high deformation rate response of lightweight granular materials. He collaborated with Rouzbeh Amini, associate professor of mechanical and industrial engineering and bioengineering, and Sinan Müftü, College of Engineering distinguished professor of mechanical and industrial engineering, on this research, which was sponsored by the U.S. Army Research Laboratory.
As a student, Jennings made multiple invention disclosures to Northeastern. He co-authored six peer-reviewed journal articles, with three as first author. Three additional papers are in peer review. He presented his research at four conferences and two research review meetings. While conducting his research, Jennings mentored six undergraduate students. He also mentored two high school students enrolled in Northeastern’s Young Scholars Program, a research-based summer program.
Jennings is the recipient of the 2025 Akira Yamamura Research Award from the Department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering, which is presented to a graduate student who demonstrates outstanding research accomplishments and is making significant contributions to their field. Following graduation, Jennings joined Northeastern as a postdoctoral research associate.