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 Germany. Further, I wanted to carry out my studies in association with industrial applicability. The industrial PhD program of MIMESIS presented the perfect opportunity to do so.
Today, the key to achieve continuous improvement of technology is to understand 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.
The aim of my PhD project is to develop a simulation tool for induction welding of steel tubes. The uniqueness of MIMESIS is that I carried out research in academia and industry. I have worked 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 induction welding machines, I was able to understand the state of the art process of induction welding and the scope of improvement of the process. At WIAS, I used this knowledge to develop the mathematical model of steel tube welding and implement it as a computational tool in WIAS’ in-house software ‘pdelib’. Hence, the project meets the industrial demands of the computational efficiency and expands the scope of applied mathematics.
On the professional front, working and discussing with the experts from EFD and WIAS presented a great learning curve for me. The PhD program also included training at academic and industrial partners of MIMESIS in Finland. Interaction with mathematicians, electrical engineers and material science engineers gave me a multi-dimensional perspective of my project and beyond. There were also opportunities to present my work at conferences which helped to place my work in the current industrial market and academic scenario.
During my PhD, not only have I gained a work experience with professionals and experts but also received valuable mentorship. The supervisors in MIMESIS have been very helpful and supportive in regards to settling down in the different countries. However, the PhD experience would not have been complete without the memorable times I had with my fellow MIMESIS PhD colleagues. MIMESIS has also provided me the chance to experience the land, culture and life in Norway, Germany and Finland. Along with the different working environments, the last three years have been an intensive rotation of snowy winters, northern lights, midnight sun, cultural summer fests, colorful fall, classic Christmas markets in three different countries. That has made MIMESIS such a uniquely interesting experience!
