Alex Gansen first dabbled in research during his Masters studies in physics at the University of Fribourg (Switzerland), and then decided he wanted to take on the challenge of a PhD, so the Luxembourg national returned to his home country. Alex has just submitted his thesis at the end of the 4th year of his AFR PhD in computational electromagnetics at the Luxembourg Institute of Science and Technology (LIST) in collaboration with the College of Engineering in Swansea. He sees the close links between local industry and research in Luxembourg as a great advantage for the future of research in the Grand Duchy.
After his studies in physics with a focus on Soft Matter physics, Alex wanted to do more applied research. He even declined a PhD offer in Switzerland because the other PhD project he was offered at LIST was more appealing – so what’s this project about?
Computational electromagnetics or generally computational engineering is a relatively young discipline. The popularity significantly increased in the 80s due to decreasing prices of computers making the equipment affordable to more people. Computational electromagnetics revolves around modelling the interaction of electromagnetic fields with physical objects and the environment.
“In my work, I mainly concentrate on a special configuration of electromagnetic fields, called electromagnetic waves which are nothing else than light in the broadest sense. It may be the visible light from the sun or invisible ‘light’ in the radio frequency regime used for communication or Wi-Fi. Maxwell’s equations form the mathematical basis of classical electromagnetism[1].”
“These equations can only be analytically solved for trivial interaction cases. For example, how light is scattered from a sphere. If we are, however, interested how radiation is reflected from complex structure like an aircraft these equations need to be solved numerically.”
As part of his PhD, Alex investigates how electromagnetic waves interact with matter: “My task is to develop better numerical algorithms for solving Maxwell’s equations faster and with lower memory requirements. Furthermore, I work on the simulation of so called metamaterials, these are artificial materials with properties that do not exist in nature. They lead to very challenging interactions with light.”
“Programming is like writing a book except when you miss a single comma on page 126 the whole book makes no sense”
So what does computational electromagnetics look like in practice on a daily basis? “Imagine I work on a specific problem. For example, how is the light reflected/transmitted after interacting with dielectric slab like a plate of glass? First, I have to derive the equations (starting from Maxwell’s equations) describing this interaction analytically (pen and paper). In the next step I think about how I can write them numerically (in a way a computer understands it). Then I start to program.
“Finally I test my program by comparing my results with some test cases that can be solved analytically. If both solutions agree my program works. Otherwise I have to find the error. This would be a perfect day. In reality it may take months to derive and especially implement such equations. There is a very nice quote with respect to this ’Programming is like writing a book except when you miss a single comma on page 126 the whole book makes no sense’.”
The main aim of Alex’s work is to improve the speed and reduce the memory requirements compared to other electromagnetic commercial solvers or methods. An example is computing the transmission of light through a material: This is vital for the development of objects such as antennas, because the radiation should be able to go through a given material. This can also be extended to things such as a wifi signal, which should not be blocked by a thin wooden door, just as the signal emitted by a smartphone should not be blocked by the cover of the phone.
Solving problems nobody has solved before
Alex says he had a great time time during his PhD, putting this down to his “amazing supervisors, and the fact that “I really like what I’m doing, tackling and solving problems nobody solved before, contributing to the technological development of society.”
As for what the future holds, Alex has not yet decided if he wants a long career in research, citing how difficult it is to get a permanent contract in research, and the impact this can have on the ability to settle down.
However, Alex sees a great deal of potential for research in Luxembourg and finds it a smart move to connect research with local industry in the way it is being done in the Grand Duchy:
“The link between research and local industrial partners is reinforced, leading to interesting and much more applied research projects and collaborations. Of course one of the reasons behind this is that 80% of the GDP comes from services, mainly banking. It is always very risky to depend on a single source of income especially nowadays with all the problems on the financial market.”
“Generally, Luxembourg has in my opinion a great potential because, in contrast to the rest of the world, the government is investing a lot of money into new infrastructure and research in general.”
Inspiring a new generation of researchers
Alex also took part in the 2017 edition of Chercheurs à l’école, which took place from 27 – 31 March. Chercheurs à l’école is an FNR initiative where researchers visit schools across the country to talk about life as a researcher.
Taking about the experience of taking part in Chercheurs à l’école, Alex says:
“It was the first time I participated in the researchers at school and I decided to go to the Lycée Ermesinde in Mersch, because this high school differs from its concept a bit from ‘normal’ schools by offering many activities to their students besides the normal classes and encouraging them to participate in. It was well organised and the staff was informed about our arrival. Furthermore all the necessary equipment was available and working.
The session was from 12:30 to 14:45, so the students participating sacrificed their lunch break for us. I shared the session with another researcher from the University of Luxembourg. All the attendants were polite, motivated and followed the different presentations carefully. It was for me a pleasure to present my work to them and talk about the everyday life of a researcher from my point of view.
I hope I could answer all their questions to their satisfaction and motivate some students to start a career as researcher, maybe even in the field of computational engineering. If I get the opportunity, I will definitely participate again and I can only encourage more researchers to do so to motivate as many students as possible.”
[1] Set of equations that underpin all electric, optical and radio technologies, such as power generation, electric motors, wireless communication, cameras, televisions, computers
Published on 6 April 2017
About Spotlight on Young Researchers
Spotlight on Young Researchers is an FNR initiative to highlight early career researchers across the world who have a connection to Luxembourg. This article is the 5th in a series of around 20 articles, which will be published on a weekly basis. You can see more articles below as and when they are published.
Spotlight on Young Researchers: Xianqing Mao
Xianqing Mao comes from a family of professors and doctors and thus has always had a natural interest in science. The Chinese national completed a medical degree, but felt she still had unanswered questions, so she decided to go abroad and took a leap into biomedical research. After stays in France, the UK, the United States and Belgium, Xianqing is now transitioning from junior to senior researcher at the Luxembourg Institute of Health, where she has already been involved in several projects investigating cancer progression.
Spotlight on Young Researchers: Assessing the sustainability of Luxembourgish agriculture
Deforestation and soil degradation is one of many consequences of climate change. Food production systems alone are responsible for around a quarter of annual emissions. Researchers in Luxembourg are working with local actors to create models to help assess the sustainability of Luxembourgish farms.
Spotlight on Young Researchers: Increasing the diversity of plant species used for vegetable oil
Vegetable oil – mainly palm oil – is heavily relied upon in the production of food, cosmetics, and biofuel. The increase in droughts also affects the standard cultivation of palm oil – alternatives are needed. Agricultural scientists are investigating the potential of a new alternative drought-resistant source for the most widely-used kind of vegetable oil.
Spotlight on Young Researchers: Sumit Gautam
While we frequently hear about new trends in mobile and wireless technologies, challenges remain, such as the need to charge devices on a stationary device. At the SnT at the University of Luxembourg, Postdoc Sumit Gautam works on solving the future information and energy requirements of wireless devices, via radio frequency (RF)-based techniques.
Spotlight on Young Researchers: Ramping up carbohydrates production
Carbs are all around us: a major constituent in food, they also play a role in many biological processes such as intercellular communication; they are in demand in the pharmaceutical industry, where they are currently used as anticoagulants and in skincare. With the goal of no longer having to rely solely on nature’s production of carbs, scientists have been working on ways to ramp up production. A case for chemistry!
Spotlight on Young Researchers: Understanding how language manifests in the brain
At KU Leuven, Luxembourg national Jill Kries is part of a research team driven by understanding how cognition and brain structure develop over time in language-related disorders and how this knowledge can be applied in a clinical or educational setting. We take a closer look at the work of the young team.
Spotlight on Young Researchers: Gil Georges
Gil Georges is driven by the quest for knowledge and strives to have a real impact, beyond publications. The Luxembourg national has just made the jump from early-career researcher to lecturer and group leader at the IET-LAV at ETH Zürich in Switzerland, where the data analyst and modeller gets to use one of Europe’s most powerful super computers when it is time for some serious number crunching.
Spotlight on Young Researchers: Jo Hoeser
Ever since he was a child, Jo Hoeser wanted to understand the function of complex systems. He found himself taking apart and trying to fix broken electronic devices. Then fascination for chemistry came into the mix. Fast forward some years and the Luxembourg national completed his AFR PhD in biochemistry at the Albert-Ludwigs University Freiburg – and wants to return to the Grand Duchy to continue his career in research.
Spotlight on Young Researchers: Taking disruptions into account in life cycle/sustainability assessment
Global supply networks are more complex than ever, and recent global events have shown how susceptible society is to unpredictable disturbances. Scientists are working to understand the effect disruptions have on the sustainability of productive systems with the goal to provide solutions to support decision-making.
Spotlight on Young Researchers: Collecting individual and personal stories of the war generation in Luxembourg
Over 10,000 Luxembourgish women and men wore German uniforms during WWII in armed forces and civil organisations – many were drafted by the Nazi German authorities – and behind each name is a story waiting to be told. A team of researchers has been working with families in Luxembourg to piece together the personal stories of the war generation in Luxembourg.