The activities of the Evaluation Committee for the ECCOMAS Awards for the two best PhD theses in 2024 were carried out in an online format. As a response to the Call of Tenders, the ECCOMAS member Associations nominated 16 theses. The Evaluation Committee was composed by Manolis Papadrakakis (chairperson), Laura De Lorenzis, Simone Borganti, Elias Cueto, Julien Yvonnet, and Riccardo Rossi.
After discussing the procedure, all candidate theses were assessed by the members of the Committee, accounting for all different aspects of them. The assessment grids of all Committee members were added up and a short list of the four best ranked theses was further reconsidered in detail. Two theses ranked above the other two and therefore the Committee has unanimously agreed on selecting them as the two winners.
The two winners are:
Dr. Carlos Uriarte (SEMA, SEMNI, Spain) for the thesis “Solving partial differential equations using artificial neural networks”
Dr. Sergio Alejandro Gomez Macias (SIMAI, Italy) for the thesis “Nonconforming space-time methods for evolution PDEs”
These theses are outstanding works in Computational Methods in Applied Sciences combining excellent knowledge of both theory and practice, with special insight on fundamental theory and computational aspects. The two winning theses are pieces of research that extend the frontiers of ECCOMAS fields, and open the community to addressing new problems and implanting new methodologies. The award decision was based on the relevance of the topics to the scientific fields of ECCOMAS, the originality of the theses, their scientific content, the innovative numerical developments and the personal involvement of the candidates. Moreover, both theses are very well written and meticulously presented.
The first thesis contributes to the numerical solution of partial differential equations using neural networks with the following two-fold objective: investigate the behavior of neural networks as approximators of solutions of partial differential equations and propose neural network-based methods for frameworks that are hardly addressable via traditional numerical methods. The second thesis introduces a nonconforming space–time virtual element discretization of a time-dependent. The method is proven to be well-posed, based on a discrete inf-sup condition, while a priori error analysis show that optimal ℎ-convergence rates are obtained for sufficiently smooth solutions. The method allows for nonmatching space-like and time-like facets, and is therefore naturally suitable for ℎ- and ℎ𝑝- discretizations.
All nominees will be recognized by a special diploma that will be sent directly to the candidates. On behalf of ECCOMAS we would like to thank the Members of the Evaluation Committee for their cooperative efforts in this selection procedure.
| Associationd | Name | Last Name | Title of the tesis |
|---|---|---|---|
| AIMETA-GIMC | ANTONELLA | CORRADO | Advanced Finite Element and Isogeometric modeling for homogeneous and composite shells involving plasticity, large deformations, and warping |
| APMTAC | ANA FRANCISCA | CARVALHO ALVES | Multi-Scale Modeling and Design of PC/ABS Polymer Blends: Integrating Constitutive Modeling with Bayesian Optimization for Inverse Problem Solutions |
| CEACM | MALTE | ROLF-PISSARCZYK | Material and computational modeling of aortic dissection |
| CSMA | JOAQUÍN | CORNEJO FUENTES | Matrix-free weighted quadrature isogeometric analysis applied to thermal and mechanical simulations |
| FMS | GIOVANNI | MISITANO | Enhancing the decision-support capabilities of interactive multiobjective optimization with explainability |
| GACM/GAMM | ISABELLE | NOLL | Thermomechanical modelling and simulation of laser powder bed fusion processes |
| GRACM | ELEFTHERIOS | CHRISTOFI | Deep learning-enhanced multi-scale simulation approaches for complex molecular system |
| IACMM | NACHMAN | MALKIEL | Uncertainty and Stochastic Characteristics of Debonding Failure in Layered Structures |
| NMC | HUGO | MAARTEN VERHELST | Isogeometric Analysis of Wrinkling |
| NOACM | DANIELE | MASSARO | Space-adaptive simulation of transition and turbulence in shear flow |
| NTCAM | VANESSA | COOL | Load-carrying vibro-acoustic sandwich panels: a meta-structure approach |
| PACM | JĘDRZEJ | DOBRZAŃSKI | Finite-element modelling of moving weak discontinuities using laminated microstructures |
| SMAI-GAMNI | YVONNE | ALAMA BRONSARD | Randomness, structure preservation, and low-regularity numerical approximations for nonlinear dispersive equations |
| SWICCOMAS | KONSTANTINOS | VLACHAS | Virtualization of parametric dynamical systems through uncertainty-aware reduced order modeling |
| UKACM | EVŽEN | KOREC | Phase-field-based chemo-mechanical modelling of corrosion-induced cracking in reinforced concrete |