People

Barbar Akle

Associate Professor, Associate Provost for International Education and Programs, and Executive Director of NY Academic Center

Office: Bassil 405
Extension: 2850
Email: barbar.akle@lau.edu.lb

Office Hours:
F 9:00-11:00

Research interests

  • Characterization and modeling of smart materials with special interest in ion conducting transducers
  • Developing applications using smart materials as sensors, actuators and self healing structures
  • Developing biologically inspired and nano-structured smart materials
  • Interest in solar powered vehicles

Selected publications

  1. Najem Joseph, Sarles A. Stephen, Akle J. Barbar, and Leo J. Donald, “Biomimetic jellyfish-inspired underwater vehicle actuated by ionic polymer metal composite actuators”, Smart Mater. Struct. 21 094026 (2012).
  2. Akle J. Barbar, and Leo J. Donald, “Experimental demonstration of the active area model in extensional ionic polymer transducers”, Smart Mater. Struct. 21 (2012) 105034.
  3. Akle J. Barbar,” Design of an Improved Signal Conditioning Circuit for Ionic Polymer Sensors Based on the Streaming Potential Hypothesis”, Accepted in the Journal of Intelligent Material Systems and Structures
  4. Akle J. Barbar, Habchi, Wassim, Wallmersperger Thomas, Akle Etienne , and Leo J. Donald, “High Surface Area Electrodes in Ionic Polymer Transducers: Numerical and Experimental Investigations of the Electro-Chemical Behavior”, J. Appl. Phys. 109, 074509, 2011
  5. Weiland Mauck Lisa, Akle J. Barbar, “Ionic Polymer Transducers in Sensing: The Streaming Potential Hypothesis”, Smart Structures and Systems, Vol. 6 No. 3, 2010.
  6. Duncan J Andrew, Akle J Barbar, Long E Timothy, and Leo J Donald, “Ionomer design for augmented charge transport in novel ionic polymer transducers”, Smart Mater. Struct. Vol. 18(10) 104005 (11pp), 2009
  7. Wallmersperger Thomas, Akle J. Barbar, Leo J. Donald, B. Kröplin “Electromechanical Response in Ionic Polymer Transducers: An Experimental and Theoretical Study”, Composite Science and Technology 68(5), S. 1173-1180, 2008
  8. Akle J. Barbar, Leo J. Donald, “Single Walled Carbon Nanotubes - Ionic Polymer Electroactive Hybrid Transducers” Journal of Intelligent Material Systems and Structures, Vol. 19, No. 8, 905-915 (2008)

Academic degrees

Ph.D., Mechanical Engineering, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, USA, 2005
M.E., Mechanical Engineering, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, USA, 2003
B.E., Mechanical Engineering, American University of Beirut, Lebanon, 2001