RESEARCH INTERESTS
My main research during these last years is in a crossover multidisciplinary field that mixes vertebrate paleontology (from biology) and computational biomechanics (from engineering). I developed new post-processing methodologies in order to quantify the FEA results for comparative purposes in a massive number of models. These methodologies allowed me to mix them with other morphological methods, such as geometrical morphometry (which studies the variation in shape), analyze it with statistics (which enables to differentiate species or ecological behaviors such as diet or locomotion) and to the use of machine-learning methods to infer diet and locomotion in fossil taxa. These post-processing methodologies involved new concepts such as the “quasi-homothetic transformation” or the “quasi-ideal mesh” and coined new techniques such as “the intervals’ method” and open the possibility to use FEA outputs in machine-learning algorithms.
In general, the methods I developed include two important points: firstly, novelty, creativity and originality in the way to analyze FEA models, which open many new relevant possibilities for the scientific community. And my contributions were not only used in the field biomechanics, because these new methods introduce potential approaches that can be used in other fields of computational mechanics. Secondly, I have critically evaluated and imposed useful solutions to a variety of topics that impeded reliable FEA, including inaccurate assumptions about the particularities of the FEA mesh, the consequences of employing unrealistic thickness parameters in plane models and those related to bad mathematical formulation in evaluating allometry.
However, I previously worked in parallel with other research lines that exposed me to a broad spectrum of knowledge and theoretical background in other fields of biomechanics and computational mechanics such as aortic fluid-structure interaction and orthodontics. I further developed my expertise in technology transfer involving companies in the field of mechanical and civil engineering using FEA methods in models for concrete, masonry, steel or wood structures and in funded projects as a researcher.
In general, the methods I developed include two important points: firstly, novelty, creativity and originality in the way to analyze FEA models, which open many new relevant possibilities for the scientific community. And my contributions were not only used in the field biomechanics, because these new methods introduce potential approaches that can be used in other fields of computational mechanics. Secondly, I have critically evaluated and imposed useful solutions to a variety of topics that impeded reliable FEA, including inaccurate assumptions about the particularities of the FEA mesh, the consequences of employing unrealistic thickness parameters in plane models and those related to bad mathematical formulation in evaluating allometry.
However, I previously worked in parallel with other research lines that exposed me to a broad spectrum of knowledge and theoretical background in other fields of biomechanics and computational mechanics such as aortic fluid-structure interaction and orthodontics. I further developed my expertise in technology transfer involving companies in the field of mechanical and civil engineering using FEA methods in models for concrete, masonry, steel or wood structures and in funded projects as a researcher.