Thesis Opportunities

Explore thesis directions in computational mechanics, experimental testing, fatigue and structural integrity at the University of Pisa and with potential research contacts abroad.

Interested in understanding why materials and structures fail—and how to make better predictions? Bachelor’s and master’s students in mechanical engineering and related disciplines can discuss a thesis combining mechanics, simulations, programming or laboratory work.

These are research directions to develop together, rather than a list of current vacancies. The topic and scope will reflect your background, interests and the available projects.

Explore a research direction

Numerical + experimental

Welded structures

Explore how welding affects the stresses and fatigue life of a component. A thesis can connect process simulations with measurements and tests on welded joints.

Typical activities: Welding simulation; thermomechanical finite element models; residual stress evaluation; fatigue testing and numerical–experimental comparison.

Numerical / computational

Multiaxial fatigue of metals

Study how metals accumulate fatigue damage when loads act in several directions. Develop and compare assessment methods, with opportunities for students interested in mechanics, programming and scientific computing.

Typical activities: Critical-plane criteria; efficient algorithms; model benchmarking; validation against experimental datasets; Python-based scientific software.

Experimental + numerical

Fatigue behaviour of polymers

Investigate how polymeric materials behave under repeated loading and how to predict the life of polymer components. The balance between testing and modelling can follow your interests and the agreed project.

Typical activities: Mechanical and cyclic characterisation; constitutive and fatigue-life models; component simulations; experimental validation. Temperature effects may be considered where feasible.

Numerical + experimental

PCB fatigue and reliability

Explore the mechanical reliability of printed circuit boards and electronic assemblies. Potential applications include components exposed to cyclic or vibration loading in automotive and other engineering environments.

Typical activities: Finite element models of boards and components; mechanical response and failure mechanisms; fatigue-life estimation; comparison with measurements.

Numerical / computational · exploratory

AI for structural integrity

Explore whether data-driven methods can support fatigue prediction and structural assessment. Specific AI projects depend on suitable datasets, research collaborators and agreed thesis objectives; these are potential directions, not claims of established or validated tools.

Typical activities: Machine-learning benchmarks; physics-based and data-driven models; surrogate modelling; interpretation of experimental data against reference results.

Choose how you work

You can focus on computation, experiments, or their combination. The activity labels above are starting points; we will agree a feasible approach for your thesis.

Numerical / computational

Finite element simulations, analytical methods, programming and algorithm development. Compare models and check their predictions against reference data.

Experimental

Laboratory testing, specimen characterisation, measurements and data acquisition. Interpret results to understand material and component behaviour.

Combined

Build a numerical model and support it with experiments. Correlate simulations with measurements and validate structural or fatigue assessment methods.

Thesis activities in Italy and abroad

Projects may be developed within the Department of Civil and Industrial Engineering, University of Pisa, with local industrial companies, or by exploring collaboration with international research institutions.

Previous research exchanges provide contacts for discussing fatigue, structural integrity, computational and experimental mechanics, and potentially AI-supported modelling. Research environments to explore include:

These contacts do not imply permanently open or guaranteed placements. Any international thesis depends on project availability, agreement of potential supervisors, host-institution acceptance, academic requirements, and funding and mobility arrangements where relevant.

Interested in one of these topics?

Tell me about your degree programme, research interests, background, preferred type of work and possible timeframe. We can discuss suitable projects and whether work in Pisa or abroad is feasible.

andrea.chiocca@unipi.it