Research Projects

Explore available research opportunities

Adaptive Nerve Cuff

Adaptive Nerve Cuff

This project focuses on designing, fabricating, and testing conductive-polymer-based neural electrodes to enable miniaturized, biocompatible, and energy-efficient closed-loop neuroprosthetic interfaces for next-generation bioelectronic medicine.

Experimental Design Polymers Microfabrication
Supervisors:
Yoeri van de Burgt
N
Yoeri van de Burgt, Niels Burghoorn (N.J.Burghoorn@tue.nl)
Microsystems
Neuromorphic Engineering
Regressing chaos through flow matching towards modelling and design of nonlinear dynamic metamaterials

Regressing chaos through flow matching towards modelling and design of nonlinear dynamic metamaterials

Develop a machine-learning flow-matching algorithm, capable of predicting behavior of nonlinear dynamic metamaterials, allowing for design of new metamaterial structures.

Numerical
Supervisors:
Ondrej Rokos
V
Ondrej Rokos, Vlado Menkovski
Mechanics of Materials
Group Rokos
A comparative assessment of additive manufacturing methods for the production of pure tungsten

A comparative assessment of additive manufacturing methods for the production of pure tungsten

A comparative assessment of different additive manufacturing processes will be conducted for pure tungsten material.

Experimental Metals 3D printing Microstructures
Supervisors:
Hans van Dommelen
N
Hans van Dommelen, Naveed Ur Rahman
Mechanics of Materials
Group van Dommelen
Design and implementation of a learning strategy for neuromorphic soft robots

Design and implementation of a learning strategy for neuromorphic soft robots

This project develops bio-inspired learning soft robots by integrating an organic neuromorphic “brain” based on organic electrochemical transistors that process and store sensory information in hardware. Coupled to liquid crystal elastomer actuators, the system enables real-time adaptation of robotic behavior through seamless integration of sensing, learning, and actuation.

Experimental Nature-inspired Design Polymers Microfabrication
Supervisors:
Yoeri van de Burgt
P
Yoeri van de Burgt, Pei Zhang (p.zhang1@tue.nl)
Microsystems
Neuromorphic Engineering
Numerical Study of Additively Manufactured Tungsten using LPBF for Fusion Applications

Numerical Study of Additively Manufactured Tungsten using LPBF for Fusion Applications

A part-scale model for additive manufacturing of tungsten components for nuclear fusion applications will be developed

Numerical Metals 3D printing Simulation development
Supervisors:
Hans van Dommelen
A
C
Hans van Dommelen, Ayush Srivastava +1 more
Mechanics of Materials
Group van Dommelen
Automatic identification of “twinning” in metals on the microscale

Automatic identification of “twinning” in metals on the microscale

Develop an automatic method to detect “twinning” in metals using high-resolution deformation (strain) maps and crystal orientation measurements. You’ll work with experimental & synthetic data, building on an existing Matlab slip-identification tool to design, test, and validate a new twinning-recognition approach.

Numerical Metals
Supervisors:
Johan Hoefnagels
Bart Verhaegh
Casper Mornout
Johan Hoefnagels, Bart Verhaegh +1 more
Mechanics of Materials
Group Hoefnagels
Realize Hardware based Simulated Annealing in a Hardware Based Network

Realize Hardware based Simulated Annealing in a Hardware Based Network

This project explores energy-efficient neuromorphic learning by implementing a hardware-based simulated annealing algorithm that exploits the intrinsic physical properties of memory–processor devices. By realizing a dueling-network learning strategy directly in hardware, the system can autonomously adapt its behavior and converge toward optimal solutions without explicit knowledge of internal weights.

Experimental Design Microfabrication
Supervisors:
Yoeri van de Burgt
B
Yoeri van de Burgt, Bob Huisman (r.j.huisman@tue.nl)
Microsystems
Neuromorphic Engineering
Adaptive Organic Neural Interfacing

Adaptive Organic Neural Interfacing

This project develops next-generation adaptive neuroprosthetics by using organic electronic devices to create fast, tunable, and minimally invasive neural interfaces on a single chip. By combining organic electronics, materials science, and microfabrication, the work aims to enable personalized electroceutical therapies that sense, adapt, and interact with the nervous system to improve patient outcomes.

Experimental Nature-inspired Microfabrication
Supervisors:
Yoeri van de Burgt
N
Yoeri van de Burgt, Niels Burghoorn (N.J.Burghoorn@tue.nl­)
Microsystems
Neuromorphic Engineering
Design and manufacturing of 3D morphing scaffolds

Design and manufacturing of 3D morphing scaffolds

Within this project, you will focus on computational design and additive manufacturing through 3D printing of shape-morphing scaffolds that can achieve desired shape change triggered by applications of external magnetic fields for applications in biomedical engineering.

Experimental
Supervisors:
Ondrej Rokos
M
Ondrej Rokos, Miguel Castilho
Mechanics of Materials
Group Rokos
Impact of post heat treatment on performance of 3D printed tungsten products

Impact of post heat treatment on performance of 3D printed tungsten products

The impact of post heat treatment will be evaluated on microstructural and mechanical characteristics of 3D printed tungsten Anti scatter grids (ASG).

Experimental Metals 3D printing Microstructures
Supervisors:
Hans van Dommelen
N
Hans van Dommelen, Naveed Ur Rahman
Mechanics of Materials
Group van Dommelen
Characterization of potting material + interfaces in electromagnetic actuators

Characterization of potting material + interfaces in electromagnetic actuators

The microstructure and failure mechanisms of a potting material in electromagnetic actuators are experimentally investigated.

Experimental Polymers Microstructures
Supervisors:
Hans van Dommelen
K
Hans van Dommelen, Kylian van Akkerveken
Mechanics of Materials
Group van Dommelen
Development of effective constitutive model for polymers actuated by antiferromagnetic nanoplatelets

Development of effective constitutive model for polymers actuated by antiferromagnetic nanoplatelets

Develop of a novel constitutive material model that will accurately describe combined mechanical and magnetic behaviour of rubber materials with dispersed antiferromagnetic particles.

Experimental Numerical
Supervisors:
Ondrej Rokos
R
Ondrej Rokos, Reinoud Lavrijsen
Mechanics of Materials
Group Rokos
Materials meets Machine Learning - Identifying slip systems using neural networks

Materials meets Machine Learning - Identifying slip systems using neural networks

Identifying crystallographic slip systems in metals is critical to understand how they deform, so we can make them more durable and sustainable. Using machine learning, you will automate this process!

Numerical Metals Steel
Supervisors:
Johan Hoefnagels
Bart Verhaegh
Casper Mornout
Johan Hoefnagels, Bart Verhaegh +1 more
Mechanics of Materials
Group Hoefnagels
Micromechanical behavior of potting material for electromagnetic actuators

Micromechanical behavior of potting material for electromagnetic actuators

A fundamental understanding of the mechanical characteristics of the heterogeneous potting material in electromagnetic actuators is developed by the development and use of a numerical modelling framework.

Numerical Simulation development Polymers Microstructures
Supervisors:
Hans van Dommelen
K
Hans van Dommelen, Kylian van Akkerveken
Mechanics of Materials
Group van Dommelen
Modelling plastic deformation in neutron irradiated aluminum alloys using mean field crystal plasticity

Modelling plastic deformation in neutron irradiated aluminum alloys using mean field crystal plasticity

Microstructure evolution due to neutron irradiation of aluminum alloys used for structural components in nuclear research reactors is modelled

Numerical Metals Simulation development Microstructures
Supervisors:
Hans van Dommelen
E
Hans van Dommelen, Etienne de Cazenove
Mechanics of Materials
Group van Dommelen
Metamaterial-Based Sensing Robot Skin

Metamaterial-Based Sensing Robot Skin

Design and development of a new class of robotic skins that will allow robots to sense and detect contact.

Experimental Numerical
Supervisors:
Ondrej Rokos
T
H
Ondrej Rokos, Tommaso Magrini +1 more
Mechanics of Materials
Group Rokos
From experiment to simulation: uncovering the hidden anisotropy of martensite

From experiment to simulation: uncovering the hidden anisotropy of martensite

Experiments show that martensite is anisotropic: its ductility strongly depends on the orientation of the crystal. Can you capture this behavior in a numerical model?

Numerical Steel Simulation development Structure-property relationship
Supervisors:
R
P
Casper Mornout
Ron Peerlings, Philipp van der Loos +1 more
Mechanics of Materials
Group Peerlings
Bending at the microscale - a detailed experimental investigation

Bending at the microscale - a detailed experimental investigation

You will use high-resolution scanning electron microscopy to observe the complicated plasticity and damage evolution in high-strength steels, thereby contributing to the development of damage-resistant and sustainable steels.

Experimental Steel Electron microscopy
Supervisors:
Johan Hoefnagels
Casper Mornout
Johan Hoefnagels, Casper Mornout
Mechanics of Materials
Group Hoefnagels
Complex Fluids in Micro- and Nano-fluidic Devices

Complex Fluids in Micro- and Nano-fluidic Devices

In this project, you will develop and use finite-element simulations to study polymer solution flows in small-scale channels, accounting for thermal fluctuations and finite-size effects.

Numerical Simulation development Polymers Viscoelasticity
Supervisors:
Nick Jaensson
M
Nick Jaensson, Markus Hütter
Processing and Performance
Group Jaensson
Investigating energy absorption of semi-auxetic sandwich composites

Investigating energy absorption of semi-auxetic sandwich composites

Develop autoencoder architecture for inverse design of semi-auxetics optimised for energy absorption. You will first generate training dataset using finite element method, which will be subsequently used generate new geometries with maximum toughness.

Numerical
Supervisors:
Ondrej Rokos
Z
Ondrej Rokos, Zia Javanbakht
Mechanics of Materials
Group Rokos
Investigation of symmetry in mechanical metamaterials

Investigation of symmetry in mechanical metamaterials

Unraveling relationship between symmetry groups and (meta)material behavior. You will explore and understand the relationship between symmetry and mechanical properties of (meta)materials in relation to buckling.

Numerical
Supervisors:
Ondrej Rokos
Ondrej Rokos
Mechanics of Materials
Group Rokos