Our paper has appeared in EML (Extreme Mechanics Letters) and can be downloaded.  Using strong fibers to reinforce a hydrogel is highly desirable but difficult. Such a composite would combine the attributes of a solid that provides strength and a liquid that transports matter. Most hydrogels, however, are brittle, allowing the fibers to cut through the hydrogel when the composite is loaded. Here we circumvent this problem by using a recently developed tough hydrogel.

The TMS Young Professionals Committee is organizing a "Meet the Candidate Poster Session" in conjunction with the general poster session of TMS 2015. This event is designed to create networking opportunities for young professionals and hopefully help them discover prospects for future employment. The deadline for abstract submission is extended to December 15, 2014. http://www.programmaster.org/TMS2015

The Meet the Candidate Poster Session will provide the opportunity for

Applications are invited for a postdoctoral position in the Department of Mechanical Engineering at McGill University (Canada).

Professor Wei Lu received the 2014 Gustus L. Larson Memorial Award. This award was presented to Dr. Lu by the president of ASME, jointly with the president of Pi Tau Sigma, during the 2014 ASME International Mechanical Engineering Congress & Exposition. 

Descartes said: `I think, therefore I am’. Darwin wrote, ‘I think’. Unarguably, the brain is the most complex and mysterious part of our body that has intrigued both scientists and philosophers alike for centuries. It is the seat of our sensory perception, emotions, learning, memory, and consciousness. While the role of electrochemistry in the working of the brain and these processes have been investigated extensively in the last century, the role of mechanics or mechanical stimuli in controlling the structure and function of the brain has remained essentially elusive.

A fully funded PhD scholarship exists in the area of mechnics of materials, endowed in honour of Professor M F Ashby.  The successful applicant will have a 1st class degree (and ideally a Masters degree) in an appropriate field.  The precise topic of the PhD can be fixed after the scholarship has been awarded.  Further details may be obtained from Ms H A Gardner.

Fully funded 3 year PhD in the Mechanics of Lightweight Structural Protection.  The project is an experimental and theoretical investigation of the invention of lightweight energy absorbing materials under static and dynamic loading.  The challenge is to optimise the use of multi-layers to contain a projectile or fragment in a lightweight panel, by exploring the use of metal lattices and composites. The project requires a 1st class honours degree or equivalent in engineering, applied science or materials science.

Smoothening creases on surfaces of strain-stiffening materials

This is a fixed term RA position for one year and the salary will be £28k - £38k depending on the experience of the candidate. The research work  includes, but is not limited to, the areas outlined below:

1. Research and develop 3D arbitrary parallel processing facilities within the FE/DE based software package ELFEN applied to the solution of a range of continuum and discrete fracturing applications such as glass forming, coupled geomechanical/fluid flow and hydraulic fracturing.