Jan Torgersen is Professor of Mechanical Engineering at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU) and Visiting Professor of Mechanical Engineering at Stanford University. He is part of the Outstanding Academic Research Fellow Program and NTNU and the director of the Micro- and Nanoscale Design laboratory. Torgersen studied Mechanical and Industrial Engineering at the Vienna University of Science and Technology (TU Wien), where he joined the Institute of Materials Science for his Master and PhD. He was instrumental in the structuring hydrogels with two photon polymerization, a high resolution lithography based additive manufacturing technique capable of fabricating 3D features over multiple length scales. He pioneered in the fabrication of tissue engineering scaffolds direct in the presence of cells and living organisms to provide a dynamic cell culture environment. His interest in the interplay between shape and surface functionality in the Nano- and Mesoscale led him to pursue his post doctoral work at the Nanoscale Prototyping Laboratory at Stanford University, where he explored issues on energy conversion and storage working on thin film capacitors for DRAM applications, buffer layers for solar cells and catalytic layers for fuel cells. At NTNU Trondheim, he continues to work on the interplay between surface functionality and topology, where his current research interests lie in biomedical materials and energy conversion devices.

The research aims to design, model and optimize a promising structure that would facilitate homogenous proliferation and dynamics of biological entities. A consortium project with highly resourceful research groups and companies across Europe. Here I come with the expertise of CFD studies and analysis to design and model the promising structure.
Excited to be part of the MND research group that gives me the opportunity to embark on Fuel cells modelling, additive manufacturing, Lattice Boltzmann simulations and atomic layer depositions.
My doctoral studies involved the understanding of the microscale flows by exploring the computational fluid science; and design of microfluidic devices for bio medical applications. In my master’s project, I have worked hands-on on Optical tweezers for sorting of biological cells. Industry experience imbibed me with qualities of engineering the science by advanced computational methods and experimental techniques.
Like to explore many of the Norway sports and culture.

I am currently a PostDoc at the Department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering, working on the improvement of Polymer Electrolyte Membrane Fuel Cells (PEMFC). The objective is to use newly developed gas diffusion layers manufactured with additive manufacturing methods to enhance transport processes inside the PEMFC for a better overall efficiency. In my PhD studies, I worked on developing new flow field plate designs for PEMFCs using nature-inspired chemical engineering principles. Tree-like structures based on the human lung were used to provide a uniform fuel distribution to the underlying layers in the fuel cell. Furthermore, I modeled and analyzed the PEMFC with non-equilibrium thermodynamics, showing the importance of coupling terms such as Dufour and Peltier effects.
Before I came to Norway, I graduated in Petroleum Engineering, specializing in drilling engineering.

Håkon J. D. Johnsen is a postdoctoral researcher working on solar energy and nonimaging optics. He is developing and optimizing new optical concepts for high-performance tracking-integrated solar energy systems.
He studied mechanical engineering at NTNU and earned his M.Sc. with the thesis "Novel Low Cost Solar Thermal Energy Concepts for Developing Countries" as well as his Ph.D.
When not doing solar energy research, Håkon spends his time hiking in the nature around Trondheim, drinking coffee with good friends, or learning new things about random topics of interest.

Peter is an Erwin-Schrödinger postdoctoral fellow at the University of Vienna and a visiting researcher at Stanford University. As an expert in ab-initio density functional theory and machine learning, his current research focuses on data-driven discovery of new ultra-low work function materials for renewable energy applications. With his expertise in quantum simulations and AI he is supporting Prof. Torgersen's research efforts.

My work as a PhD student at NTNU is focused on cold-welding of dissimilar conductive materials at the microscale. I’m involved both in the development of the in-situ welding technique itself and on the testing of the obtained micro-joints. Most of the time you may find me in the lab in front of a Focused Ion Beam microscope attempting to join aluminium and copper alloys.
For my master thesis I studied the influence of heat treatments and additive manufacturing technologies on the mechanical response of Ti6Al4V alloy at the small scale. I had also the opportunity to study the effect of cryogenic lubricants on the surface integrity of 316L stainless steel during my bachelor thesis.
I graduated from University of Padova in which I met lots of beautiful people that made me curious and opened my mind towards research.
I’m passionate about photography and dance. I love talking with people because I think everyone has always something to teach me. One of the things that most matters in life for me is enjoying time with friends and family, possibly while having good food and good wine… I’m Italian if you were wondering.

As a PhD candidate at NTNU, I am currently working on finding new ways to characterize and observe the initial growth regime of Atomic Layer deposition (ALD) processes. Understanding the deposition characteristics of the first few nanometers of ALD growth is indispensable for the further development of pinhole-free layers in the nanometer regime. In particular, I am exploring possibilities to make angstrom scale in-situ studies in additional instruments such as the transmission electron microscope (TEM) possible.
Before joining the Micro and Nanoscale Design research group at NTNU (April 2018) I was working as a master student at Bosch Automotive Electronics researching degradation mechanisms of anti-stiction layers in acceleration sensors. My research work was focused on evaluating the degradation impact of subsequent processing steps on specific functional layers in the sensor.

I am PhD student at the faculty of engineering at NTNU in Trondheim. My research explores the possibilities for improving the performance and reliability of PEM fuel cells through structural optimization of the porous electrodes. In my work, I develop tools to better model the structural properties influence on overall fuel cell performance, and as a result help aid the development and optimization of new and novel design concepts.
I also did my masters at NTNU, during which I worked on developing an ALD control system to facilitate the use of custom built ALD systems in various in-situ experiment.
In my spare time I enjoy back country skiing, bouldering, music and vegetable gardening.

My research topic is stable pyrolysis of polymers, aimed at improving our current understanding of fuel cells. During my master thesis I specialized in the development of temperature programs to produce dimensionally stable carbon lattices from 3D-printed polymers.
In my spare time I enjoy the actional project, always looking to expand my skills as an engineer.

As a PhD candidate at NTNU, I am working on Atomic Layer Deposition (ALD) of ultra-thin films. I am also exploring the prospects of ALD deposition for different applications such as high-k dielectrics, piezoelectrics, optoelectronics, and solar to energy conversion devices.
Prior to joining NTNU (Oct 2018), I was working as a Research Engineer at Khalifa University, UAE. My research work was focused on sustainable technologies such as, experimental development of energy efficient window coatings using sputtered metal oxide thin films, Transparent Conductive Oxide (TCO) for PV applications and PDMS composite for CPV system.

I am currently a PhD student at the faculty of engineering at NTNU. The research focus for the PhD is to look into how additive manufactured Ti-6Al-4V scaffolds affect bone growth when cultured in vitro with mesenchymal stem cells. In addition to this, we are investigating ways to improve surface roughness of electron beam melted Ti-6Al-4V samples by using chemical etching and electrochemical polishing. The overall goal is therefore to find the optimal bone implant, with better bone in-growth, and a stiffness designed to match the stiffness of the human bone.
Prior to my PhD, I first completed a bachelor’s degree in Product- and System Design at NTNU Ålesund. The focus for the bachelor thesis was to develop a fail-safe mechanism to a child stroller at Stokke AS. After this, I moved to Trondheim to begin my Master’s degree. Here, my main focus was product development and materials engineering. During my master thesis, I was introduced to Assoc. Prof. Jan Torgersen who introduced me to what later became the topic for my PhD.
I grew up in Sunnmøre, which (in my opinion) is the most beautiful part of Norway. Because of this, I have a big interest for hiking and backcountry skiing. I consider myself a curious person, which is one of the main reasons why I chose the mechanical engineering path.

My research is currently focusing on fabrication and characterization of solid-state micro capacitors. For this project I am collaborating with Fritz Prinz and his research group at Stanford University.
As part of my master’s thesis work, I studied additive manufactured titanium scaffolds for biomedical implants with tailored porosity and stiffness properties.
Coming from beautiful Sunnmøre in Norway, I love hiking and outdoor activities. My passion for “creating stuff” ranges from fermenting chilies, to 3D printing cookie cutters.

Currently my interests as a postdoctoral fellow are in studying the nucleation phase of functional ALD materials (metals and perovskites) and specifically performing in-situ characterization (FTIR and synchrotron-based XAS). In turn, the knowledge obtained from this characterization will be utilized to make higher performing catalytic devices such as fuel cells or solar cells.
During my B.Sc. in chemistry at the University of Miami, I worked on sensor fabrication, biopolymer and biomolecule characterization. During my doctoral studies at Stanford Nanoscale Prototyping lab I used X-ray Absorption Spectroscopy to understand the electronic and geometric structure of different functional atomic layer deposited thin films (zinc oxysulfides, lead sulfide and barium titanate).
I am a laid-back person from Florida who likes basketball, American football, bowling and skiing. I am very passionate about trading, whether it be commodities, currencies, stocks, options or futures.

Mirco Peron is a Ph.D. student at Mechanical and Industrial Engineering Department at NTNU. His current research topic deals with the stress corrosion cracking susceptibility of magnesium and its alloys, with a particular interest in the procedures that allow to reduce it, in particular machining and manufacturing procedures and coatings.
Mirco Peron has also worked on the fatigue behavior of composite materials and of traditional metallic materials. In particular, his expertise lays on the experimental procedures and on analytical models to predict the experimental results.
Among his interests, a great importance is represented by the refereeing activity, where he is often employed as main referee in Eliteserien futsal matches in Norway.