Sastry holds PhD and MS degrees from Cornell University, and a BS from the University of Delaware, all in Mechanical Engineering. Her credentials include several of the highest honors in her field. Among these are the 2007 ASME Gustus Larson Award, the University of Delaware Presidential Citation for Outstanding Achievement (2004), the UM College of Engineering 1938E (2000), the University of Michigan Henry Russel Award (1999), and NSF’s Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers (1997). In 2005, she was honored with a University of Michigan Faculty Recognition Award, acknowledging outstanding contributions as a senior faculty member in research, teaching and service. She has served on three Editorial Boards: the ASME Journal of Engineering Materials and Technologies, Journal of Composite Materials, and as a Founding Associate Editor of the Journal of the Mechanical Behavior of Biomedical Materials.

In her academic life, Sastry is the Arthur F. Thurnau Professor of Mechanical, Biomedical and Materials Science at the University of Michigan. Her laboratory’s numerical simulations, and advanced materials characterization and design approaches have been applied to energy technologies and fundamental problems in applied mathematics, biology and electrochemistry. Sastry has pioneered new models for industrial/university collaborations on technology, and serves as co-Director with Bob Kruse of General Motors, of the GM/UM Advanced Battery Coalition for Drivetrains.

Sastry has not only worked to research and develop batteries, and to commercialize battery technologies, but has also worked to create a stable electrification workforce. She founded and serves as the Director of the nation’s first program dedicated to providing graduate education in vehicle electrification technologies, Energy Systems Engineering at the University of Michigan. These efforts collectively will create knowledge and knowledge workers for the automotive and battery OEMs as vehicle electrification progresses.