Susheel Dharmadhikari

About Susheel Dharmadhikari

I am a CAE Engineer at the Caterpillar Technical Center, working at the intersection of finite element analysis, reduced-order modeling (ROM), and physics-informed machine learning (PIML). My work focuses on building fast, scalable, and physics-consistent modeling workflows that accelerate simulation, improve design decisions, and enable data-driven health monitoring for Caterpillar products. I have applied these methods across a range of industrial problems, including:• Tractor cylinder force prediction using hybrid ML–physics models• Physics-informed learning of torque–turn behavior in bolted joints• Surrogate-driven rubber seal design optimization• Machine-learning-based battery state-of-health (SOH) prediction• Vibration reduced order models using PODI hold a PhD in Mechanical Engineering, where my research centered on machine-learning-based fatigue damage detection and simulation-driven design optimization. Selected contributions from this work are available on my Google Scholar & hl=en & oi=aoMy core strengths lie in combining solid mechanics, dynamics, FEA, and data science to develop practical, deployable modeling solutions for complex engineering systems.

Experience

1. Engineer - Perf Sim App

   Caterpillar Inc.

   Apr 2023 — Present · Peoria, IL, US

Education

• Indian Institute of Technology, Kanpur

  Master’s Degree, Solid Mechanics and Design

  2013 — 2015

• Penn State University

  Doctor of Philosophy - PhD, Mechanical Engineering

  2018 — 2023

• Visvesvaraya National Institute of Technology

  Bachelor’s Degree, Mechanical Engineering

  2009 — 2013