Raúl Muñoz
Argentina
Raúl will study Mechanical Engineering at the University of Birmingham, UK. He obtained his Bachelor in Mechanical Engineering at the Universidad Nacional de Rosario, Argentina. For his Ph.D., Raul will study modelling of workpiece surface integrity following machining by employing finite element techniques to simulate the cutting process and subsequently predict integrity measures relevant to microstructure, microhardness and residual stress, with possible inference of likely component fatigue.

Paulo Rossi
Argentina
Paulo will pursue his Ph.D. in Materials Science at Saarland University, Germany, where he earned his Master in Advanced Materials Science and Engineering. Prior to attending Saarland University, Paulo received his Bachelor of Mechanical Engineering degree at the Instituto Balseiro, Argentina. Paulo’s Ph.D. research aims to clarify the correlation between manufacturing, microstructure and mechanical properties of different complex microstructures.

Thiago Soares Pereira
Brazil
Thiago will pursue his Ph.D. in Materials Science at the University of Birmingham, UK. Previously Thiago obtained his Bachelor of Material Engineering at the Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina, Brazil. For his Ph.D., Thiago will study the effects of particles on the deformation and recrystallisation relationship of low alloy steels. His objective is to achieve a fuller understanding of the role of particles in thermo-mechanical processing and the resultant microstructure and performance of steel.

Catia Barón Aznar
Mexico
Catia will study Materials Science at the University of Cambridge, UK, where she also received her Master of Science in Micro and Nano Technology Enterprise. Catia obtained her Bachelor of Physics Engineering at the Universidad Iberoamericana, Mexico. Catia’s proposed project for her Ph.D. involves the synthesis and characterization of assemblies of Carbon Nanotubes that are condensed into fibers by the process of Carbon Nanotube fiber spinning. She will focus her research on the study of the qualities this material has for filtering purposes together with the theoretical limitations imposed by its nanostructure.

Sergio Castellanos Rodríguez
Mexico
Sergio is pursuing his Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, USA. He received his Bachelor of Science degree at the University of Arizona, USA. For his research, Sergio is developing and applying different methods to reduce dislocation density in multicrystalline silicon with the ultimate goal of increasing solar cells efficiency.

Enrique Galindo Nava
Mexico
Enrique is pursuing his Ph.D. in Materials Science at Delft University of Technology, Netherlands, and the University of Cambridge, UK. Enrique received his Bachelor of Mathematics at the Universidad Nacional Autónoma de Mexico as well as a Bachelor of Mechatronics Engineering at the Universidad Panamericana, Mexico. The main objective of his Ph.D. research is to develop a theory to predict the occurrence of dislocation patterns at high temperatures, as dislocation structures are considered to be the principal contributor to plastic deformation in metals, and to control them as a function of the degree of deformation (strain), the velocity of deformation (strain rate), temperature and composition in order to determine the overall stress-strain material behavior on engineering alloys.

Everth Hernández Nava
Mexico
Everth will study Materials Science and Engineering at the University of Sheffield, UK. He earned his Bachelor of Materials Engineering at the Instituto Tecnológico de Morelia, Mexico, and his Master of Science in Materials Science and Engineering at the Universidad Nacional Autonoma de Mexico. For his Ph.D. project he will look at how high melting point metal foams could be produced on an industrial scale, and the properties that may be obtained, in order to examine their suitability for candidate applications.

Lluvia Marisol Ochoa Estopier
Mexico
Lluvia will pursue her Ph.D. at the University of Manchester, UK. She received her Bachelor of Chemical Engineering at the Instituto Tecnológico de Veracruz, Mexico, and her Master of Science in Chemical Engineering at the Instituto Tecnológico de Celaya, Mexico. For her Ph.D., she will develop methodologies for the design and retrofitting of heat-integrated distillation systems used for petroleum refining.

Bogdan-Adrian Chetroiu
Romania
Bogdan-Adrian will pursue his doctorate in Chemical Engineering at the Ecole Centrale Paris, France, where he obtained his Master of Science in Engineering. He received his Bachelor of Mechanical Engineering at Dunarea De Jos Galati University, Romania. For his doctoral studies, Bogdan-Adrian will focus on stress corrosion cracking (SCC) of Alloy 600 in PWR primary water. SCC is based on the interactions between oxygen, hydrogen and chromium transports, the microstructure of the material and its local mechanical behavior. In this context, the aim of his study is to get data on the migration / localization of these species in order to improve modeling of SCC of Alloy 600 in PWR primary water.

Florina Constantin
Romania
Florina is studying for her doctorate in Materials Science at the Institut National des Sciences Appliquées – Lyon, France, and the University of Pitesti, Romania. She received her Master in Materials Science and Engineering at the Institut National Polytechnique de Toulouse, France, and the University of Pitesti, Romania, and her Bachelor of Materials Science and Engineering at the Politehnica University of Bucharest, Romania. Her doctoral research concerns the field of corrosion inhibitors used in cooling liquids for the automotive industry and involves the study of the effectiveness of two different inhibitors (an organic and an eco-friendly one) and their effect on the aluminum alloys used in cooling radiators.

Enrique Escobar de Obaldia
Venezuela
Enrique is pursuing his Ph.D. in Materials Engineering at Purdue University, USA. Previously he obtained his Master of Science in Mechanical Engineering at Mississippi State University, USA, and his Bachelor of Mechanical Engineering at the Universidad Simon Bolivar, Venezuela. The aim of his Ph.D. research is to study the origin of slag-metal interface defects in electroslag remelting (ESR) to understand the stability of surfaces of two immiscible liquids in the presence of solidification, and the influence of that stability on the development of surface defects.

Luís Eduardo Zerpa
Venezuela
Luis is studying for his Ph.D. in Petroleum Engineering at the Colorado School of Mines, USA. Previously he obtained both his Bachelor of Mechanical Engineering and Master in Mechanical Engineering at the Universidad del Zulia, Venezuela. For his Ph.D., Luís is focusing on the development of a comprehensive model for the prediction of formation and dissociation of natural gas hydrate plugs in oil and gas flowlines, for the design and optimization of offshore transport facilities, flow assurance risk assessment and generation of best practices of safe and secure operational techniques for the uninterrupted transport of reservoir fluids from the reservoir to the point of sale.