PhD in Mechanical Engineering Position Title: AI-Guided Design of Programmable Intelligent Metamaterials Deadline The 1st of July 2026 Funded by The Italian Institute of Artificial Intelligence (AI4I), in collaboration with Politecnico di Milano Supervisors * Marco Maurizi (AI4I) * Valentina Zega (Politecnico di Milano) Contacts * [email protected] * [email protected] Websites R&D; Labs - AI4I SCHEDA_5424_ISSG_AI-GUIDED_DESIGN_OF_PROGRAMMABLE.PDF Position Description The PhD scholarship is funded by the Italian Institute of Artificial Intelligence (AI4I). The research will be carried out jointly at AI4I and Politecnico di Milano. The project focuses on architected materials, also known as metamaterials. The emergence of intelligent and re‐programmable metamaterials—engineered systems whose functional properties arise from geometry and architecture rather than chemistry alone—marks a paradigm shift in how materials interact with their environment. Unlike conventional materials with fixed, intrinsic behavior, these metamaterials can sense external stimuli, process information,



and dynamically modify their response in real time. They embody a new class of programmable matter, where structural geometry and embedded functionality combine to achieve adaptive mechanical, acoustic, or electromechanical performance. Such systems hold great promise in fields ranging from vibration and noise control to wearable haptics, soft robotics, and human–machine interfaces. However, the design and control of architectures capable of robust, reversible reconfiguration remain unsolved challenges. Research Methods and Techniques * Generative deep learning models (Graph Neural Networks, Diffusion Models, Transformers) to explore design spaces and synthesize architectures with tunable mechanical or electromechanical responses * Physics‐informed and multi‐objective optimization frameworks, coupling finite‐element simulations with AI‐based surrogates to enable rapid evaluation and tu

📌 Phd Position In Mechanical Engineering: Ai-Guided Design Of Programmable Intelligent Metamaterials (Italia)
🏢 The Italian Institute of Artificial Intelligence (AI4I)
📍 Italia