Hussein Rappel uses a mathematical learning approach to try to predict and simulate physical phenomena. The Iranian national came to Luxembourg in 2014 to join the team of Prof Stephane Bordas at the University of Luxembourg, where he is now in the 3rd year of his PhD in Computational Science – and sees great potential in Luxembourg as a research destination.
Hussein Rappel has a thirst for learning new things, and in research has found the ideal job for a curious, knowledge-hungry computer scientist. Since 2014, Hussein has been working with Prof Stephane Bordas, a renowned computational science researcher at the University of Luxembourg. ‘Computational science’ is a broad term nowadays, so what exactly does Hussein do for his PhD work?
Simulating physical phenomena
“We try to simulate physical phenomena (e.g. fracture, deformation and etc.), using mathematics and computer programming.
“In my research I am trying to use a mathematical learning approach called ‘Bayesian inference’ to identify the parameters for the material behaviour laws. The approach is very similar to what we do in our regular life to learn about an event and predict the next step. As an example you can imagine yourself driving your car, for any action that you are going to take for the next step you combine the current state information (the car speed, its position etc.) with the information from your surroundings ( such as the other cars, road situation…) and then you make your decision.
“This is almost what I do in my research by combing the measurements, the information that I already have and my physical model I identify the parameters for governing physical laws.”
In terms of what this looks like on in practice, Hussein explains that apart from reading up on the latest findings in his field and developing the mathematical models and codes needed for the simulation, discussing his findings and progress with his supervisors Dr Lars Beex and Prof. Stephane Bordas is a significant part of his regular activities.
Learning how to do original research in an up-and-coming research location
Being just over halfway through his PhD and thus still at the beginning of his research career, Hussein’s main goal as a researcher at the moment is mainly to learn how to do original research independently and publish the associated results – he adds: “Furthermore I would like to improve my skills by learning to write research proposals which would let me to convert my ideas from a simple idea to a research project.”
Hussein relocated from Iran to Luxembourg for his PhD, which he explains was more due to the chance to work PhD supervisor Stephane Bordas, (who himself came to Luxembourg a few years ago with his then newly-awarded ERC grant), than due to Luxembourg itself. As Hussein points out, however, the University of Luxembourg is slowly but surely building a reputation for itself:
“Considering the condition in Luxembourg and available resources I believe the country is going in the right direction and has great potential to become a very popular destination for researchers from various countries in the world.
“The University of Luxembourg is quite young but it gets recognised every year more than the previous year as it is a research-oriented university. Furthermore the possibility of creating various research centres in the university framework can help it to get even more research-oriented and as result more recognised.
“As an example you can consider creation of the Centre of Excellence in Scientific Computing which can help to do lots of interdisciplinary projects. These research projects can be in fields of finance, engineering, physics and so on.”
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 21st in a series of around 25 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: Maxime Brami
Archaeologist and trained anthropologist Maxime Brami works on uncovering the origins and spread of agriculture, and has just landed a sought-after Marie Skłodowska-Curie Individual Fellowship. We speak to the Luxembourg national about what it’s like to be an archaeologist in academia, the collaborative nature of the field and why archaeologists have a certain responsibility.
Spotlight on Young Researchers: The role a gene plays in neurodegeneration and cancer
Neurogenerative diseases and cancer affect millions of people worldwide, especially people over 60. While advances in diagnosis and treatment have been made, there are still many open questions on the path to better treatment and earlier diagnosis. Translational neuroscientist Pauline Mencke studies a gene that is involved both in Parkinson’s disease and the brain cancer Glioblastoma multiforme.
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: Understanding the impact climate change has on crop-threatening insects
A type of insect known as whitefly spreads plant viruses and has devastating effects on the vegetables that we depend on and thanks to climate change their negative impact on agriculture is set to increase in the future. Current methods to protect crops depend on delicate relationships between whiteflies and their natural enemies, our crops, and microbial communities, a delicate balance threatened by climate change. Researchers are working with a ‘climate in the lab’ to get a better understanding of what could happen, with the ultimate goal to generate solutions to protect food security.
Spotlight on Young Researchers: Glioblastoma and the challenge of getting cancer drugs to reach the brain
Glioblastoma is the most aggressive form of brain tumours in adults. The incidence is about 4 per 100.000 people and the average survival after diagnosis is about 14 months with current treatments. The tumour’s location represents a major challenge – few drugs make it past the blood brain barrier. Researchers are working on designing a novel kind of drug that could help do just that.
Spotlight on Young Researchers: Maciej Piotr Chrzanowski
Maciej Piotr Chrzanowski never thought he would become a researcher, but a successful attempt at applying for a PhD changed all of that, and the Polish national found himself moving to Luxembourg. Now in the 3rd year of his AFR-PPP PhD, Maciej is embedded both at the University of Luxembourg and in R&D Application Department of steel manufacturing corporation ArcelorMittal, where he works on development of new solutions for structures.