Modelling and simulation of impact waves in brain matter
During the past decade, the brain has been the subject of numerous studies aimed at understanding its function and its behaviour. An important challenge lies in the prediction and the treatment of Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI), which is a major source of death and disability worldwide. In the mechanics community, important efforts have been dedicated to the mathematical description of the response of brain matter to forces, and to the simulation of traumatic events. Nevertheless, further progress is of utmost importance for applications in biomedical engineering and medicine. In facts, despite clear evidence that dynamic solicitations such as impacts play a crucial role in head traumas, several time-dependent effects are often neglected in the modelling (inertia, fluid content, viscous effects, swelling).

The main goal of the TBI-WAVES project is to improve the mechanical and computational modelling of head traumas. A first aim is to improve the mechanical modelling of brain matter by accounting for the above commonly neglected effects. A second aim is to develop dedicated head impact simulation tools. The problem will be approached from theoretical and numerical perspectives, based both on the applicant’s and the host laboratory’s expertise. The training programme is exhaustive and will allow the applicant to grow as an independent researcher. The proposed research will foster further developments in this direction, a step which is fundamental in healthcare and for the benefit of society.

The applicant is a Franco-German dual citizen, trained in France in applied mathematics, theoretical mechanics, and computational mechanics. He publishes articles in international scientific journals, with topics in applied mathematics and other disciplines. He is requesting funds for two years, to work within Prof. Michel Destrade’s team at NUI Galway. A six-month secondment at the University of Trento is planned.