Maria Comninou

Distinguished Alumnae Award Recipient, 1984

M.S. 1971 in Applied Mechanics, Ph.D. 1973, in Philosophy in Applied Mechanics Mechanical engineer, engineering educator and Nobel Prize winner Comninou joined the faculty of the University of Michigan (MU) in 1974, as an assistant professor. In 1985 she was promoted to professor of mechanical engineering and applied mechanics. Her research on “interface cracks” was honored by the American Society of Mechanical Engineers with a Henry Hess Award and five other societies, including a 1978 Noble Prize. She published more than 90 papers on the many aspects of contact and crack problems and on elastic waves at interfaces. Her research had a significant impact on the micromechanics of composites and on modeling of earthquakes and faults. After earning a law degree (cum laude) in December 1996 she was admitted to the Michigan Bar. After retiring from MU in 2000, she worked as patent attorney for a Michigan law firm, and later as an independent contractor until her retirement in 2014.