Welcome to our new academics!

We’re delighted to congratulate Rui Zhang and Denis-Gabriel Caprace on joining the iMMC as professors at École polytechnique de Louvain - Louvain School of engineering, and Laurine Choisez on this new step in her career as Research Associate F.R.S. - FNRS. 👏

Rui’s research combines structural engineering, artificial intelligence, and experimental data to better understand how structures behave. In particular, he develops computational methods that allow us to learn from limited measurements while also respecting the fundamental laws of physics.

Through the lens of fluid mechanics, Denis-Gabriel’s research aims to better characterise the interactions between aeronautical systems (aircraft, helicopters, wind turbines, etc.) and their environment. It has two sides that he intends to develop for various applications: numerical simulation, on the one end, and wind tunnel experiments, on the other. For example, simulation enables him to study large-scale phenomena, such as the airflow through a full-scale helicopter rotor, and the aeroelastic response of that same rotor when it is exposed to turbulent disturbances. Through experiments, he can collect data to validate the simulations and explore, under real-world conditions, the development of control techniques to reduce the effects of these disturbances.

Laurine’s research focuses on the development of an iron-based powder, known as a metal fuel, for high-density energy storage. The idea is to store and transport renewable energy for long periods of time to decrease the share of fossil fuels for large-scale energy management.
Renewable energy is stored through the reduction of iron oxide into iron powder. The energy is then released by burning the iron powder, producing heat and iron oxide powder. This creates a closed-loop energy storage cycle between iron and iron oxide, with no associated CO₂ emissions (as long as all the energy used in the process comes from renewable sources).