Engineer of the Moment: Nidhi Sekhar

This month's "Engineer of the Moment" is Nidhi Sekhar! Originally from Mumbai, India, Nidhi joined LERA in 2015 as a Computational Designer after earning her Master of Science in Computational Design from Carnegie Mellon University, where she was involved in researching Generative Design, as well as human-machine collaboration in high skill domains. She also holds a Bachelor of Architecture from L.S. Raheja School of Architecture in Mumbai.

As a Computational Designer, Nidhi focuses her efforts on developing software that solves problems arising from the structural design workflow. Her work ranges from software design, to parametric modeling, to creating complex models and simulations, to research and development. She uses her expertise to devise solutions for automating various parts of the design process.

Nidhi is a core member of LERA+, LERA's in-house computational design and research group. LERA+ is made up of a multifaceted team of designers, engineers and programmers that provide ad-hoc solutions to complex design problems.

To learn more about LERA+, visit www.leraplus.com.

Nidhi's recent work includes designing an advanced structural analysis study to optimize rebar shapes and quantities in a facade with an organic shape; the structural optimization of a large abstract sculpture suspended in the atrium lobby of a new hospital pavilion; and the design and fabrication support for several other sculptures. She has also provided computational design and support services on some of LERA's most complex and high-profile projects, such as the Lucas Museum of Narrative Art in Los Angeles, CA and the High Tech Tower in Luanda, Angola.

In May 2018, Nidhi was an invited speaker at the second annual TECH+ Expo in New York City, an event that showcases the latest advances in technology in the AEC industry. She took part in the "Lightning Talk" series, where she presented on IMMERSIFY, a virtual reality software platform for architects, designers and owners, and was invited to make a pitch to the "Start Tank," a panel of industry judges who provided feedback on startup companies and products. She is also the co-creator of Cuttlefish, LERA+'s interoperability platform.

To learn more about IMMERSIFY and Cuttlefish, visit www.suppletechnologies.com.

An avid dog lover, Nidhi's hobbies include going to concerts, listening to Spotify and working on personal art projects. She is also currently reading In Other Words by Jhumpa Lahiri and learning how to speak Italian.

Nidhi talks about a case study of using IMMERSIFY to coordinate MEP design during TECH+'s "Lightning Talk" series.

Nidhi poses with the panel of judges for TECH+'s "Start Tank" event (from left to right): Justin Hendrix, Executive Director at NYC Media Lab; Dareen Salama, Director of Technical Services at Lehrer; and Greg Schleusner, Director of Design Technology Innovation at HOK.