Advancing microstructure modeling of rapid thermomechanical processes: Experiment-modelling synergy using a novel CW Laser and SEM coupling

Manas V. Upadhyay is a Professor in the Department of Mechanics of the Ecole Polytechnique (France), and the Program Director of Masters of Mechanics at the Institut Polytechnique de Paris, a conglomerate of 6 “Grandes Ecoles” in France. He obtained his PhD from the Georgia Institute of Technology (USA) in 2014 and he did his post-doctoral research from 2014 – 2018 at the Paul Scherrer Institute (Switzerland). He joined the Ecole Polytechnique in January 2019 as an Assistant Professor. He obtained his HDR (Habilitation to Direct Research) diploma in October 2022 and was promoted to Professor in September 2024.

His general research interest is in Extreme Thermomechanics and Materials Engineering. His current research can be broadly classified into two themes: (i) Engineering metal microstructures for tailored mechanical properties and (ii) Modelling extreme micro-thermomechanics. In the past 6 years, he has worked extensively on the topic of microstructure engineering and micro-thermomechanical modelling of additive manufactured alloys. He has received multiple research grants for his work, notably the prestigious European Union’s Horizon2020 ERC Starting Grant 2020 (# 946959). He has also received awards for his professional activities, notably the Jean and André Rist 2022 medal by the French Society of Metallurgy and Materials (SF2M).

His research group perseveres to understand metal microstructure formation and evolution from the length-scale where individual defect dynamics can be studied to the polycrystalline level, and to harness this understanding to tailor microstructures with desired properties. What sets his group apart is that they actively develop experimental devices and conduct advanced characterization experiments (primarily SEM, TEM, and synchrotron XRD) in synergy with developing theoretical models and performing numerical simulations (primarily, crystal plasticity and dislocation dynamics). More information on his professional activities can be found at https://www.manas-upadhyay.com