Scientific Director
Prof. LLorca, a Fulbright scholar, is a Fellow of the European Mechanics Society and of the Materials Research Society and a member of the Academia Europaea. He has held visiting positions Brown University, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Indian Institute of Science and China Central South University. He has received various numerous awards, including the Research Award from the Spanish Royal Academy of Sciences, the Research award from the Technical University of Madrid and Career Award from the Spanish Society of Materials (SOCIEMAT).
Prof. LLorca is currently Associate Editor of Modelling and Simulation in Materials Science and Engineering, Composites Science and Technology, Materials Science and Engineering A, International Journal of Multiscale Computational Engineering, Integrating Materials and Manufacturing Innovation, International Journal of Engineering Sciences and Advanced Theory and Simulation. He chairs the European Mechanics of Materials Conference Committee and belongs to Board of Directors of the Society of Engineering Science.
His research activities have been focused in the systematic application of computational tools (ab initio, molecular mechanics, dislocation dynamics, phase field, computational thermodynamics, computational mechanics, etc.) and multiscale modeling strategies (transition state theory, homogenization, etc.) to establish the processing-structure-properties relationships of structural materials. A key feature of his contributions is the use of novel experimental techniques to determine the properties of the phases and interfaces in the material at the nm and µm scale. So, simulations are fed with experimental values independently obtained and free of “adjusting” parameters.
These new multiscale modeling strategies were initially applied to composites (metal-, ceramic- and polymer-matrix composites) and some of his contributions in this area are classics within the scientific community. Moreover, they were expanded to a wide range of engineering materials (including metallic alloys, ceramics, amorphous and crystalline polymers, high performance fibers and biological materials). Finally, these tools have become the foundation of the modern techniques of virtual testing, which are starting to be used by the aerospace industry to minimize the number of costly mechanical tests to characterize and certify composite materials.
- Since 2017 Scientific Director of the IMDEA Materials Institute, Spain.
- Since 2016 Guest Professor, Central South University, China.
- 2013-2014 Brahm Prakash Visiting Professorship, Indian Institute of Science, India.
- 2012-2015 Guest Professor, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, China.
- 2007-2017 Director and founder of the IMDEA Materials Institute, Spain.
- 1989-1990 Fulbright Visiting Scholar, Brown University, USA.
- 1987-1995 Associate Professor, Department of Materials Science, Technical University of Madrid.
- 1986 PhD in Materials Science. Technical University of Madrid.
- 1983 BSc & MSc in Civil Engineering with honors. Technical University of Madrid.
- 2019 Fellow, Materials Research Society
- 2018 Award of the Structural Materials Division of TMS to the best paper published in JOM in 2017
- 2018 Career Award, Spanish Society of Materials (SOCIEMAT).
- 2016-2021 Guest Professor, Central South University, China.
- 2013-2014 Brahm Prakash Visiting Professorship, Indian Institute of Science, India.
- 2012-2015 Guest Professor, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, China
- 2012 Fellow, European Mechanics Society.
- 2009 Research award of the Technical University of Madrid.
- 2000 Gold medal of the Spanish Society of Structural Integrity.
- 1999 Research award of the Spanish Royal Academy of Sciences.
- 1990 Young investigator award of the Technical University of Madrid.
- 1989-1990 Fulbright visiting scholar at the Division of Engineering, Brown University, USA.
- 1986 Award to the best doctoral thesis, Technical University of Madrid.
- 2017-2019 Board of Directors of the Society of Engineering Science
- 2018-2020 Chair, European Mechanics of Materials Conference Committee
- 2015-2018 Member, European Mechanics of Materials Conference Committee
- Since 2015 Member, European Materials Modeling Council.
- 2012-2018 Member of the External Advisory Panel of the Institute of Materials (Georgia Tech)
- 2011-2014 Member of the Advisory Board, Materials Science and Surface Institute, University of Limerick, Ireland
- Since 2011 Member, International advisory board, Multiscale Modeling of Materials Conference
- 2010-2015 Member, European Solid Mechanics Conference Committee
