My research focuses on smart materials – particularly magnetic shape memory alloys – which change shape and generate force and motion under the influence of an external magnetic field. These materials enable the development of novel structural solutions for actuators. Their potential is especially highlighted when advanced manufacturing methods, such as additive manufacturing (i.e., 3D printing), are utilised. When a stimuli-responsive shape change is embedded into the printed structure, the process is also referred to as 4D printing.
I earned my Doctor of Science (Technology) degree in 2021 from LUT University, where my doctoral dissertation focused on the fabrication of a Ni-Mn-Ga-based magnetic shape memory alloy using laser powder bed fusion. Currently, I work as a postdoctoral researcher in the Material Physics Laboratory at LUT University.
In my current projects, I investigate how smart materials and smart manufacturing processes together define the properties of functional structures – and how this understanding can be leveraged to develop new and more resource-efficient actuator technologies. My goal is to enable the miniaturisation and simplification of electromechanical devices and to develop smart material-based solutions for robotics and micro-mechanical systems. I have contributed to several research projects related to this topic and have conducted several international research visits to the University of Birmingham and the University of Pittsburgh.