Mauricio Ponga

Assistant Professor

Department of Mechanical Engineering

Research Focus:

Mauricio Ponga’s research is at the intersection of Mechanical Engineering, Mechanics of Materials and Computer Science and focuses on multi-scale modeling of materials, modelling and simulation and method development.
Mauricio’s research aims to better understand materials using a variety of methods in multiple time and length scales, different environments and load conditions. These methods include ab-initio quantum mechanics, molecular dynamics, finite elements, peridynamic, etc.

In the next decade, new manufacturing technologies will give us the ability to design materials at small length scales to obtain desired properties at the macro-scale. However, a key aspect for the design of new materials is the ability to fully understand and control the mechanisms of deformation that take place in them.
In order to realize this vision, Mauricio’s group is developing new integrated multi scale material models that capture both the macroscopic material response and the underlying nano-scale physical mechanisms.
The ultimate goal is to be able to computationally design new materials with better properties. This research goal will be reached using a combination of different theoretical models, cutting edge multi-scale and multi-physics simulation techniques and computational frameworks that will combine experimental data with numeric results from simulations.

Prior to UBC:

Mauricio completed his BS in Aeronautical Engineering from the University of La Plata in Argentina and received his M.Sc. and Ph.D from the University of Seville in Spain. He was also a Postdoctoral Scholar at the California Institute of Technology under the supervision of Kaushik Bhattacharya and Michael Ortiz.

Accolades:

Mauricio’s research has been published in peer-review journals such as The Journal of the Mechanics and Physics of Solids, Mechanics of Materials, Modeling and Simulation in Mechanical Engineering, and International Journal of Fracture Mechanics. He has also participated in numerous international research projects, and has supervised both graduate and undergraduate students.

Personal Interests:

In his free time, Mauricio enjoys spending time with his wife and son, making Argentinian style barbecue, watching or playing soccer and occasionally fishing.