PhD student in the Marie-Sklodowska Curie project ‘MIMESIS’

My name is Prerana Das, and I am from India. With bachelor’s in mechanical engineering, I pursued my master’s in computational engineering from Ruhr Universität Bochum, Germany. And this year, I have joined as a PhD student in the Marie-Sklodowska Curie project ‘MIMESIS’, which is a European Industrial Doctoral program with eight PhD projects.

Today, the key to achieve continuous improvement of technology is understanding the science behind the technology and interpreting it with mathematical models on a computational platform. Through my studies, I learnt how computational modeling has emerged as a highly effective tool in the manufacturing industry. And the objective of ‘MIMESIS- Mathematics and Material Science in Steel Manufacturing’ is to apply computational modeling in the industrial process of steel manufacturing.  Being selected for this prestigious program is a great achievement for me, as it is in strong alignment with my career choices and goals.

The aim of my PhD project is to develop a simulation and optimization tool of the High Frequency Electrical Resistance Welding (HF-ERW) of steel tubes. The uniqueness of the MIMESIS program is that I carry out research in academia and industry. I am working with the R&D group of EFD Induction, Norway and the research group ‘Non-linear Optimization and Inverse Problems’ of WIAS, Berlin.

My project is a multi-field problem with the integration of computational mechanics, materials science and electromagnetics. At EFD, which is a  manufacturer of High Frequency welding machines, I am able to understand the state of the art process of HF-ERW  of steel tubes and the scope of improvement of the process. At WIAS, I will use this knowledge  to develop the mathematical model of steel tube welding and implement it as a computational tool. Hence, the projects of MIMESIS meets the demands of the industry and expands the scope of applied mathematics.

On the professional front, I find it a very good experience  working and discussing with the experts from EFD and WIAS. The PhD program includes training at the academic and industrial partners of MIMESIS in Finland.   Through workshops and courses, there is opportunity to network with my fellow PhD students involved in this project as well.

My supervisors at EFD & WIAS have been very helpful and supportive in regards to settling in the different countries. MIMESIS has also provided me the chance to experience the land and culture of Norway, Germany and Finland. My new colleagues in Norway have already invoked my interest in skiing.

I look forward to a wholesome experience of my PhD journey.