The International Workshop on Mechanics of Wood and its Applications in Wind Energy Technologies will take place 10-12 November 2008 in Dhulikhel, Nepal.

Computational Mesomechanics of Composites, by Leon Mishnaevsky Jr. (Risoe National Laboratory, Technical University of Denmark)

Applications are invited from suitably qualified candidates for a Postdoc/Research Scientist position in the framework of a Danish/Nepalese collaborative research project, in the Materials Research Department of Risø National Laboratory, Denmark 

Job description: As a postdoc/scientist, you will carry out numerical micromechanical modelling of fatigue processes in wood. The theme of the project is the computational analysis of the effect of microstructures of natural materials (wood), coatings and other microscale parameters on their fatigue resistance and lifetime under cyclic loading. The experiments and verification of results will be carried out in collaboration with project partners in Kathmandu, Nepal. The deliverables of the project should include the development of recommendations for the improvement of the reliability of wind turbine blades, produced from coated wood in Nepal, as well as extracting “lessons from nature” to be used in the improvement of polymer matrix fiber reinforced composites for wind energy applications.