Objective
Material failures caused by long-term static or cyclic loading are among the most serious challenges in materials engineering. They account for up to 90 % of structural failures and result in billions of dollars in annual economic losses worldwide. The gradual accumulation of microscopic damage often goes undetected until catastrophic failure occurs, and despite decades of study, these processes are still described mainly by empirical laws that reproduce behavior but offer no mechanistic path to prevention. The fundamental challenge is to move from describing when materials fail to understanding how deformation evolves and how it can be controlled through design.
This transition has been blocked by a key barrier: deformation involves many interacting microscopic events that are experimentally observable but whose causal relationships (how events trigger others) have been inaccessible, preventing the development of predictive, physics-grounded design rules. Only now, through the convergence of high-resolution imaging, physics models of collective deformation, and modern causal-inference algorithms, can these mechanisms be reconstructed directly from experiments.
I will overcome this barrier by establishing a physics-based Descriptors-Mechanisms-Design pipeline that transforms deformation data into actionable design principles. Advanced imaging and statistical-physics analysis identifies robust deformation descriptors, physics-informed causal inference reconstructs how local deformation events interact to drive or stabilize failure, and these insights yield microstructural design rules validated through proof-of-concept materials.
Together this will establish a preventive, physics-informed approach to material design, transforming failure prediction into failure resistance. The outcome will be a general method for creating durable, sustainable materials and a conceptual breakthrough linking deformation physics, causal reasoning, and materials engineering.
Fields of science (EuroSciVoc)
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Keywords
Project’s keywords as indicated by the project coordinator. Not to be confused with the EuroSciVoc taxonomy (Fields of science)
Project’s keywords as indicated by the project coordinator. Not to be confused with the EuroSciVoc taxonomy (Fields of science)
Programme(s)
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
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HORIZON.1.1 - European Research Council (ERC)
MAIN PROGRAMME
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Topic(s)
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Calls for proposals are divided into topics. A topic defines a specific subject or area for which applicants can submit proposals. The description of a topic comprises its specific scope and the expected impact of the funded project.
Funding Scheme
Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.
Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.
HORIZON-ERC - HORIZON ERC Grants
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Call for proposal
Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
(opens in new window) ERC-2026-STG
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Net EU financial contribution. The sum of money that the participant receives, deducted by the EU contribution to its linked third party. It considers the distribution of the EU financial contribution between direct beneficiaries of the project and other types of participants, like third-party participants.
02150 Espoo
Finland
The total costs incurred by this organisation to participate in the project, including direct and indirect costs. This amount is a subset of the overall project budget.