Mercator Fellows

Mercator Fellow – 2nd research phase	Affiliation	Expertise
Prof. Dr.-Ing. Erik Bitzek	Max-Planck-Institut für Eisenforschung, Germany	Atomistic simulations of fracture processes with a particular emphasis on 3D crack modelling and crack-microstructure interactions
Prof. Laura De Lorenzis	Eidgenössische Technische Hochschule Zürich, Switzerland	Computational fracture mechanics, variational phase-field modelling of brittle and ductile fracture, fracture in shells, multifield fracture problems, and fatigue
Prof. Anna Pandolfi	Politecnico di Milano, Italy	Computational mechanics, development of advanced fracture tracking techniques (cohesive elements, eigenerosion), particle methods for the discretization of failure of solids and diffusion of fluids, and multiscale material models for porous brittle materials (brittle damage) to simulate fracking

Mercator Fellow – 1st research phase	Affiliation	Expertise
Prof. Elias C. Aifantis	Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Greece	Generalised continuum models with internal length and time scales
Prof. Michael Ortiz	California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA, USA	Physical models of fracture and their mathematical analysis
Dr. Laurent Ponson	Pierre et Marie Curie University, Paris, France	Analytical and numerical treatment of 3D cracks in heterogeneous media