The Institute of Mechanics, Materials, and Civil Engineering (iMMC) at the Louvain School of Engineering (EPL) of the Université catholique de Louvain (UCL) is a leading international center for research in engineering. Its core strengths span several of the major engineering disciplines, and are grouped into five inter-related topics:
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energy, thermodynamics, and chemical engineering
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mechatronics and biomechanics
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processing, materials, assembly, and structures
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fluid mechanics, environmental engineering, and geomechanics
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numerical and computational methods
The Institute provides an integrated environment for the advancement of engineering, with an emphasis on creativity and problem solving, and on bridging the gap between fundamental and applied research. The academic staff of the Institute consists of about 30 faculty members, 100 researchers and 50 technical and administrative support staff who pursue both research in both experimentation and modeling. Experimental resources cover the processing, assembly, characterization, and testing of materials of all kinds, as well as the development of prototype units and systems in chemical engineering, energy conversion, thermodynamics, mechatronics, biomechanics, hydraulics, aerodynamics, environmental engineering, and geomechanics. A strong emphasis is placed on a multidisciplinary approach, and on the development of multiscale and multiphysics models, novel numerical methods and the associated high performance computing.
The Institute maintains strong connections with local and international industrial partners, and has created and supported many successful spin-off companies. The main fields of application are energy conversion, nuclear energy, combustion, aeronautics, railway transportation, hydraulics, chemical engineering, chemical and biological processes, climatology, civil engineering, metallurgy, coatings and composites, mechatronic systems and robotics, and simulation software.
In regards to education, the Institute and its staff members support the four Master's degrees in mechanical engineering, electromechanical engineering, civil engineering, and materials science and chemical engineering. The goal of the Institute is to nurture a new generation of engineers and graduate students who transcend the traditional engineering divisions and are prepared and committed to meet the changing needs of our society and to forge a sustainable future.
