DFG funds new research training group on metamaterials at TU Dresden

From October this year, more than 20 young researchers will develop digital methods for exploring new materials as part of the RTG. They will be led by an interdisciplinary team of experts from the fields of mechanics, materials science, mathematics, physics and computer science, who are conducting research at TU Dresden, TU Bergakademie Freiberg and TU Chemnitz. The spokesperson for the Research Training Group is Markus Kästner, Professor of Numerical and Experimental Solid Mechanics at the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering at TU Dresden. The DFG is funding D³ with around 6.5 million euros for an initial period of five years.

„The digital transformation of engineering and materials science offers huge potential for innovation. In D³, we qualify the ‚digital natives‘ needed to realise this transformation, who combine excellent expertise in traditional specialist disciplines with skills from the fields of machine learning and data analysis. To this end, we are creating an international, innovative and collaborative research environment“, explains spokesperson Prof Markus Kästner (TU Dresden). 

Research is being conducted on metamaterials, i.e. delicate structures produced using 3D printing, which are perceived as a material in a component. The design of the inner structure enables customised, sometimes unusual properties for applications in the mobility, medical and energy sectors. The investigations planned in D³ are aimed at both the mechanical performance and the sustainability of the new materials. The vision of D³ is to develop and apply a fully digital, data-driven approach to the design of metamaterials that can also be transferred to other material systems," Kästner continues.

D³ establishes a new internationally oriented, structured programme for the qualification of young scientists at TU Dresden, which, in addition to the Materials Science and Engineering research profile line, is also closely related to the focal areas of information technology and microelectronics as well as energy, mobility and the environment. D³ will also intensify cooperation between different areas of TU Dresden, within the DRESDEN-concept and between the three Saxon research locations Dresden-Chemnitz-Freiberg.

Press release of the "idw - Informationsdienst Wissenschaft" from 15 May 2023