Professional Experience
Professor, University of South Carolina, Department of Mechanical Engineering,2013-2014. Associate Professor, USC, Department of Mechanical Engineering, USC,2003-2013. Assistant Professor, USC, Department of Mechanical Engineering, USC,1997-2003. Postdoctoral Research, University of Virginia, Applied Mechanics, 1995-1997. Scientist, National Institute of Standards and Technology, MD, 1993. Member of the Technical Staff, The Aerospace Corporation, CA, 1991.
Research
Dr. Baxter's research is on the development and application of mathematical models. The majority of these models are aimed toward understanding the mechanics of heterogeneous materials through probabilistic/stochastic approaches. These include models for predicting the properties of heterogeneous materials with random microstructures using probabilistic methods and simulations of material properties based on these models. Other projects include exploring the effect of fractional derivatives in models of hysteretic effects and examining the importance of individual model parameters on model output using a global sensitivity analysis.
She has also developed several significant interdisciplinary collaborations, most notably modeling binding site affinity distributions in molecularly imprinted polymers and developing a novel approach to tracking mechanical activity of cells in soft tissue using light scattered from gold nanorods as a tracking pattern.
NSF Career Proposal - National Science Foundation, 1999. Mungo Undergraduate Teaching Award - University of South Carolina, 2014.