Paul Lagace, PhD

Paul Lagace was professor of Aeronautics and Astronautics and Engineering Systems at MIT, a leading authority on the failure and durability of composite structures. Lagace earned both his undergraduate and doctoral degrees from MIT, completing his Ph.D. in aeronautics and astronautics there, with his fellowship beginning in 1978. His research focused on the mechanics of damage and failure in composite materials, particularly how structural elements made from fiber-reinforced polymers behave under impact loading and fatigue. He was a dedicated educator who taught MIT’s courses in mechanics of materials and composite structures, and in 1995 was named a MacVicar Faculty Fellow in recognition of his outstanding classroom teaching. He directed the Technology Laboratory for Advanced Materials and Structures (TELAMS) and served as president of the International Committee on Composite Materials. Lagace passed away on July 16, 2021.