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: Nina Hentzen
Nina Hentzen, an organic chemist working on the chemical synthesis of collagen, is fascinated by research at the interface of chemistry and biology. The Luxembourg national is in the second year of her AFR PhD at ETH Zürich – and has just been selected to attend the renowned 2017 Lindau Nobel Laureate Meeting.
Spotlight on Young Researchers: Harnessing the potential of the Internet of Things and satellites to make smart agriculture a reality
Lack of access to fast and reliable Internet in rural and remote areas is a [multi-step] challenge that must be addressed to pave the way for smart agriculture and precision farming, a vital step toward ensuring food security in a changing climate. In the quest for smart agriculture, researchers are working on solutions for connecting Internet of Things (IoT) with satellite communication (SATCOM) systems.
Spotlight on Young Researchers: Anna Monzel
Anna Monzel cites her thirst for new knowledge and discoveries as a key contributor in her choosing to follow the path of science. Drawn to Luxembourg because of its interdisciplinary approach, the German national developed a 3D model of the human midbrain for her PhD at the LCSB at the University of Luxembourg – which earned her a Lush Young Researcher Prize.
Spotlight on Young Researchers: Dementia in neurodegeneration – defining the role of microglia, the brain’s immune cells
An estimated 55 million people in the world suffer from dementia, with the number estimated to increase to 78 million by 2030. In Luxembourg, more than 10,000 people suffer from dementia, including patients affected by Alzheimer’s disease and Dementia with Lewy Bodies. These incurable diseases have an increasing socio-economic impact along with the burden on patients and caregivers. One of the approaches researchers are taking is studying microglia, immune cells in the brain.
Spotlight on Young Researchers: Dominique Santana
After completing her master’s degree, Luxembourg national Dominique Santana decided to spend time in her mother’s birth country Brazil. While there, she became intrigued by Brazil’s communities of Luxembourgish nationals and wanted to investigate further. Now in the first year of her AFR PhD at the C²DH at the University of Luxembourg, Dominique is examining the paths of Luxembourgers who emigrated to Brazil from 1920 – 1965, which has already rekindled old friendships.
Spotlight on Young Researchers: Dimitra Anastasiou
In 2015, Dimitra Anastasiou was featured in our campaign ‘Spotlight on Young Researchers’, which highlighted early-career researchers with a connection to Luxembourg. In November 2015, Dimitra moved to Luxembourg with her young family to start her prestigious Marie Curie Individual Fellowship at the Luxembourg Institute of Science and Technology (LIST). One year on, we caught up with Dimitra!