We are delighted to announce that Hirak Kansara, supervised by Dr Wei Tan, has successfully passed his PhD viva with minor corrections — and with flying colours! The viva was examined by Prof Mokarram Hossain (External Examiner from Swansea University) and Dr Marco Pensalfini (Internal Examiner).

Hirak’s PhD thesis, titled “Inverse Design of Architected Materials via Analytical and Data-Driven Approaches,” explores the use of both analytical and machine learning methods for the design and optimisation of advanced architected materials. Over the course of his research, he has developed several novel methods that bridge mechanics-based modelling and data-driven design that contributes to resilient and sustainable composite materials.

His outstanding work has already led to two high-impact journal publications:

• Hirak Kansara, Mingchao Liu, Yinfeng He, and Wei Tan, Inverse design and additive manufacturing of shape-morphing structures based on functionally graded ….

Hirak Kansara, Siamak F. Khosroshahi, Leo Guo, Miguel A. Bessa, and Wei Tan, Multi-objective Bayesian optimisation of spinodoid cellular structures for crush energy absorption, …

Two additional papers are currently under revision.

This success is a testament to Hirak’s dedication, critical thinking, creativity, and strong work ethic. Starting with Dr Tan as an MEng student at QMUL, Hirak quickly demonstrated remarkable research potential and a deep passion for mechanics and materials. His PhD was funded by the EPSRC New Investigator Award and a QMUL studentship.

Special thanks go to Mingchao Liu, Miguel Bessa, Siamak Khosroshahi, Leo Guo, and many QMUL colleagues (Pihua, Han, and others) for their valuable support and collaboration.

Right after submitting his thesis, Hirak was offered a full-time position as a CAE Engineer at Subsea7 — a well-deserved next step in his career.

Many congratulations to (now) "Dr." Hirak Kansara on this remarkable achievement, and best wishes for his future endeavours!