Postdoc scores in the elite programme

The project by Dr. Serena Gambarelli, scientist at the Materials Testing Institute of the University of Stuttgart and former postdoc of the Faculty, which was awarded by the inclusion in the Elite Programme, comes from the field of building physics. The focus of her research is on the computational mechanics of building materials and building methods, for which she is developing digital tools for the purpose of analyzing deterioration processes. One of these materials is wood, a complex organic material which isn’t only used in a number of engineering projects but also in objects of cultural interest such as sculptures or paintings. If wood is exposed to unsuitable environmental conditions such as changes in humidity and temperature or mechanical influences, this can lead to damage and impair its durability.

As part of her project "3D hygro-thermo mechanical meso model for wood", Serena Gambarelli wants to understand and model the complex hygro-thermo-mechanical behavior of wood in order to preserve structures, historical buildings and artifacts. To do this, she develops a 3D hygro-thermo-mechanical model for concrete further within the framework of continuum mechanics and by using the finite element method for wood. The benchmarks here are the annual growth rings, the directional dependency of the properties of wood (anisotropy), as well as the firmness of the wood along its longitudinal axis. The transportation of water through the wooden fibers and pores is also taken into consideration.

Serena Gambarelli was born in 1984 and studied Civil Engineering in Rome, where she finished her doctorate in 2016 on modeling the interactions between fiber composite materials and concrete. She worked as a postdoc at the Institute of Construction Materials of the Faculty from 2016 to 2019 before moving to the Materials Testing Institute at the University of Stuttgart. 

The Baden-Württemberg Foundation has supported excellent researchers since 2002 through the Elite Program for postdocs, who have to go through a rigorous, multi-stage selection process to be accepted. A total of 14 out of 55 entries were successful in the last round of applications, of which Mrs. Gambarelli and two others from the University of Stuttgart. The successful applicants were awarded with a total of 1,773,800 euros in funding. The funding usually means that the researchers are able to become scientifically independent. They are completely free to pursue their research interests for the first time by means of research projects which they themselves are responsible for proposing and managing – an important step on the path towards becoming a professor.