Computational design of structural materials
My name is Inna Gitman, I am a full professor of computational design of structural materials. My main research interests are in the modelling of solid and bio-materials. My work is mostly computational. If I were to describe my research in one sentence, it would be ‘understanding, controlling and optimising the behaviour of a material by understanding, controlling and optimising its micro-structure’.
Background
My two main research themes are mechanics of materials and computational analysis. Material behaviour can be described, analysed and optimised by means of numerical apparatus (FE, data-driven and fuzzy set based approaches), statistical and stochastic characterisation, within the framework of multi-scale modelling strategies (e.g. nested homogenisation, microstructurally-driven gradient-enriched continua).
I work within a range of applications from man-made materials, such as concrete, polymers, composites and metals, to bio-materials, such as bone and teeth.
I also love uncertainty: realising that in the world around us most natural and man-made materials are far from being strictly deterministic and ordered, in my research I aim to incorporate this disorder and stochasticity into our models.
In the years to come
Following my expertise and experience to work across discipline boundaries I would be very keen to explore opportunities to create a Group for Computational Modelling and Design across Materials, Scales, Processes and Physics.
The main mission of this group would be to offer solutions to questions that are, on one hand, customizable and unique to particular industrial applications, but, on the other hand, thorough and general in approach, based on the first principles:
- Why a material behaves the way it does?
- How to model a material?
- What are the overall effective properties of a material?
- How to characterise them?
- Can they be user-controlled?
- What can we learn from and how can we cross-fertilise approaches in different physics?
The general research goal, would be to improve existing materials’ properties, such as strength, ductility, thermal properties; to reduce the cost, weight and waste; to increase architectural freedom; and potentially create new materials with desired and tuneable properties.
Education
My teaching vision can be summarised as follows: give students building blocks (fundamental knowledge), challenge their minds, create a safe, friendly and approachable environment, and enjoy the result together with students.
Collaborations
My collaborations span across various universities within and outside Europe, including, but not limited to, my previous places of work: University of Sheffield (UK), University of Manchester (UK), Delft Technical University (NL) and my alma mater Perm National Research Polytechnic University (RU). I am a partner in a 18-partner consortium for a Horizon 2020 grant, and an associated spin-off grant funded by the Ministry of Education and Science, Russian Federation; UK-China collaboration funded by the Royal Society UK & NNSF of China grant; UK-Canada collaboration funded by AMRC (UK) & NRC (Canada).