UC3M lecturer José A. Rodríguez receives a 2021 Leonardo Grant from the BBVA Foundation
7/7/21
A researcher from the Universidad Carlos III de Madrid (UC3M), José Antonio Rodríguez Martínez, has received a 2021 Leonardo Grant for Engineering to support his research project into microinertia.
José A. Rodríguez-Martínez (Palencia, 1982) is a Tenured Lecturer at the UC3M’s Department of Continuum Mechanics and Structural Analysis. His project aims to obtain the first empirical evidence of microinertia, in other words, the assumed impact resistance of 3D-printed metals due to their porous character.
He has designed the methodology for this project which includes numerical simulations and mathematical models that will be validated using high-speed impact experiments. “The success of this proposal would be a real revolution in the design and calculation of metal impact protection structures used in the aerospace, aeronautics, automotive, and civil safety industries, allowing 3D printing to be used to optimise its resistance, reduce its weight and, thus, its manufacturing and maintenance costs,” says the researcher.
The BBVA Foundation’s Leonardo Grants aim to support science and culture in order to promote projects belonging to researchers and cultural creators between the ages of 30 and 45 who are in the intermediate period of their careers. These grants support 59 innovative personal projects in 11 areas of knowledge. This is a highly competitive call for proposals, as 1,615 applications were received, from which the projects considered to be of the highest excellence were selected by an evaluation committee comprised of independent experts.
The name of these BBVA Foundation grants draws inspiration from Leonardo da Vinci (1452-1519) as a universal symbol of curiosity and passion for knowledge, the opening up and continuous exploration of new fields and problems, as well as dialogue between natural and life sciences, technology, humanities, and the arts.
More information:
59 Leonardo Grants awarded to Researchers and Cultural Creators in 9 areas of science and culture
