Are you interested in understanding how mechanically reliable components can be manufactured by 3D printing, or curious about why nearly 90% of structural alloys fail under real service conditions and how such failures originate at the micro- and nano-scales? Do you want to explore how machine learning can predict failure long before it happens, or how computer simulations can capture the complex heating and cooling during metal 3D printing? Are you fascinated by the nano-scale mechanical behavior of additively manufactured materials, or eager to study how 3D-printed parts behave when they are hit at very high speeds (such as in bullet strike or crash-like situations)? Do you know how hydrogen can make strong and extremely ductile metals suddenly brittle? If these questions excite you, the PhD projects in my group offer a unique opportunity to work at the forefront of materials science, mechanics, and advanced manufacturing.
Currently, I have open PhD positions in the following broad research areas:
Additive manufacturing and microstructure studies of steels, titanium, and nickel-based alloys
High-temperature low-cycle fatigue and fracture of aerospace materials
Machine-learning-enabled failure prediction of structural components
Numerical simulations of additive manufacturing processes
Nano-mechanics of additively manufactured materials
Ballistic impact response of additively manufactured materials
Hydrogen embrittlement of additively manufactured alloys
Selected candidates will have the opportunity to:
Work with state-of-the-art materials characterization tools such as XRD, SEM, EBSD, TEM, AFM, etc.
Utilize advanced mechanical testing facilities, including servo-hydraulic UTMs, nanoindentation systems, creep frames, and related equipment
Spend a few months at IIT Bombay, IIT Roorkee, or IISc Bangalore to perform experiments using specialized instrumentation
Present their research at national and international conferences, workshops, and symposia
Publish high-quality research in internationally reputed journals