Nicolas A. Alderete, Ph.D. Email & Phone Number

Gaithersburg, Maryland, United States

Nanomechanical Properties Group, Materials Measurement Laboratoryhttps://www.nist.gov/people/nicolas-alderete

Chicago, Usa

Research Assistant under the advise of Prof. Horacio D. Espinosa (NAE Member)(http://espinosa.mech.northwestern.edu/).Working on multifunctional materials at the intersections of biomaterials and mechanical metamaterials.• • • Research Project I: Development and experimental-computational characterization of multiscale, multifunctional mechanical metamaterials.• Development of origami and kirigami architected metamaterials with shape-shifting and exotic mechanical properties.• Performed nanoscale in-situ SEM, AFM testing and macroscale static and dynamic mechanical analysis.• Built and integrated optical characterization setups (moire, digital correlation) into existing multiaxial testing platforms. Developed in-house post-processing software for digital signal and image analysis.• Created Abaqus/Python plugins and Abaqus UMAT routines for finite element automation and customization.• Led the development of an inverse-design framework using tandem neural networks emulators and symbolic regression laws for topology optimization and control of nonlinear soft kirigami actuators (achieved 360x design speedup, 96% accuracy).• • • Research Project II: Phononic behavior of biological structures and implications on phononic engineering materials.• Performed and analyzed transient grating experiments for investigating acoustic and thermal transport in biomaterials.• Used finite element analysis for ultrasonic and hypersonic wave propagation in functionally graded composite structures.• Co-Devised and co-developed USAF funded grant. Tasks: Research proposal development (FA9550-20-1-0258, Phonon Propagation in Biological Structures and Implications on Phononic Tunability of Synthetic Materials), execution, and biannual progress reports preparation.

Chicago, Illinois, United States

Teaching Assistant for the graduate level (MSc./Ph.D.) course "Experiments in Solid Mechanics", led by Prof. Horacio D. Espinosa. Main responsibilities: • Development and design of lecture material, homework, and exams on Digital Image Correlation (DIC), Structured Light Methods, Nanoindentation, and Digital Signal Processing. Led the recitation sessions for those topics. • Design and instruction of hands-on laboratory sessions for students on DIC, Geometric Moire and Nanoindentation. • Grading and progress-monitoring of students.

St Paul, Minnesota, United States

• Developed semi-automated FEM framework and graphical user interface to accelerate discovery and fundamental understanding of Kirigami-based metallic programmable surfaces (achieved 5x speedup compared to existing internal platforms). • Designed Kirigami-based prototypes for on-demand, tunable abrasive applications.

Buenos Aires

• Supported over 15 research and development projects for companies in the Metallurgical, Automotive, O&G, Renewable Energies and Nuclear industries (full project portfolio on LinkedIn).• Developed static and dynamic finite element (FEM) models for structural and thermal simulation/verification of mechanical components and industrial processes. Developed discrete element method (DEM), smoothed particle hydrodynamics (SPH) and Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) models for simulation of fluid and granular transport.• Co-created proprietary TrussWiz software, a VBA-based program interfacing with Hyperworks FEM environment for speeding up structural verification of welded truss structures (500x speedup).• Spearheaded the mechanical and granular transport re-design of an iron-ore transfer system for LATAM leading steel company Ternium (resulted in 61% ore waste reduction). Coordination and liaison with plant and process engineers. Projects under my responsibility can be found in the "Project Portfolio" file attached below.Specific software:- Altair Hyperworks (Hypermesh, Optistruct, Radioss, Motionview)- Open Source LIGGGHTS CFDEM- Programming (Tcl/tk, Fortran, VBA)

Campana

Research Assistant in String Design & Mechanical Solutions Department at Tenaris, Center for Industrial Research (CINI). • Co-Managed Tenaris’ R&D program for Fatigue Performance Characterization of proprietary threaded connections and tubular goods (OCTG). Coordinated research efforts in Tenaris R&D centers in Argentina, Brazil, and México (execution, progress monitoring and reporting, budget control).• Built finite element models for product verification and performed failure analysis of threaded tubular products using destructive and non-destructive full-scale testing for design verification.• Implemented design of experiments and survival statistical models for fatigue characterization of threaded connectors.• Created proprietary Wirft software, a Matlab-based engine for Tenaris in-house fatigue testing laboratories in Argentina, Brazil, and Mexico. Improved full-scale testing efficiency by reducing 28% sample waste.• Participated in the first stage implementation of acoustic emission method for early detection of fatigue cracks in threaded products, in cooperation with Argentine National Atomic Energy Agency (CNEA).• Assisted Tenaris technical sales engineers by providing string design solutions and material selection insights.• Co-Instructed the Torque, Drag, and Fatigue (TDF) Assessment Course developed for Tenaris University, an international in-company education program (2014 Houston, USA).

Doctor Of Philosophy - Phd, Theoretical And Applied Mechanics, 4.0/4.0

Activities and Societies: Organizer TAM Student/Postdocs Seminar Series and TAM Students-Meet-Faculty Networking Event (May. 2020 – Dec..

Bachelor'S Degree (Msc. Equivalent), Mechanical Engineering, 7.10/10

Five-Year Professional Degree in Mechanical Engineering with a Two-Year focus on Materials Engineering.

International Student Exchange

High School, Ciencias Exactas Y Naturales, 9.30/10

Activities and Societies: Argentine Math Olimpyad Team - National Finals, 2007 Rowing Team - 2003 to 2006