Dr. Sharma’s research focuses on natural materials and how they can be optimized and adopted in construction. Her research includes development of characterization techniques to improve manufacturing methods and use in structural applications. To increase the resilience of the built environment, her research focuses on the use of engineered bamboo in a variety of applications from shells to multi-story construction. She is also interested in the use of natural fiber composites and nonconventional materials in a variety of applications. Dr. Sharma’s research spans the micro to structural scale, with focus on design, engineering and testing of non-conventional materials.

Dr Sharma has a B.S. in Architecture and M.A. in Architectural History, and an M.S. and Ph.D. in Civil and Environmental Engineering with focus in Structural Engineering. She joined the University of Southern California in 2019.