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Malmö University: Material engineers and designers for the 4th Industrial Revolution
30 Oct 2019
A Fourth Industrial Revolution is accelerating towards us. Bringing technologies that will blur the lines between the physical, digital and biological spheres, life as we know it will never be the same again.
The coming industrial revolution will be defined by four mega-trends, according to McKinsey & Co: increasing data volumes, computational power and connectivity; machine learning and analytics; new forms of human-machine interaction; and improvements in connecting the digital and the physical, such as in 3D printing.
Little by little or even all at once, engineers and designers are creating new technologies that transcend the limits of the physical world, the materials that are available and how they are used. From the smartwatch to the Gorilla Glass to the Boeing 787 Dreamliner, these products stand out from the rest for pushing the boundaries of material manipulation.
At the forefront of these developments are those with in-demand skills and academic degrees associated with materials development and processing. While robots and self-driving vehicles steal the spotlight, the progress in materials design and development is the “silent enabler” of its features and functionality.
As industrial R&D ramps up, computational material scientists will be its key figures. Whether in research or in industry, computational material scientists will shape the future of the design, processing and application of novel high-tech materials.
Malmö University’s Master’s programme in Computational Materials Science (CMS) is the ideal foundation to take your career in this field into Industry 4.0.
Malmö University
Located in Sweden’s third-largest city, Malmö University is an urban and innovative higher education institution offering 30 English-taught programmes at both bachelor’s and master’s level. With five research centres – spanning fields in life sciences, humanities, health and technology – multidisciplinary learning is a reality here.
The master’s programme in CMS is one of the university’s latest postgraduate offerings.
Spanning two years, the programme lets students try their hand in a diverse range of areas associated with materials development and processing. With computational methods growing in importance for materials discovery and development, this degree prepares students for the accelerating technological development which will be led by those highly skilled in modelling and simulation – the very two unique features of this Master’s programme.
Jörgen Ekman, Programme Coordinator, said: “Students will acquire a fundamental, robust and versatile background in state-of-the-art programming, modelling and materials engineering; these are competencies which are sought by industry today.”
At this premier Swedish higher education institution, CMS Master students will gain a broad perspective on material behaviours under different conditions, with a special focus on computational modelling of material mechanisms on different length scales. Relevant techniques associated with synchrotron light and neutron radiation used for experimental small-scale characterisations of materials will also be covered.
During the programme’s second year, students will develop their research methods to address materials science-related issues and test their skills through the degree project. The latter is typically associated with either an ongoing research project or a relevant industry-related project.
Programme Coordinator Ekman explains how students will learn about the development of new and high-performance materials: “Through the knowledge acquired from the programme ́s theoretical materials science courses, the students will gain a fundamental understanding of how materials behave and what mechanisms are of importance under different conditions.
“Moreover, through materials modelling and advanced programming courses, students will learn how to predict a material’s response. These theoretical and practical understandings jointly provide the tools necessary to design new materials for extreme environments. This could be, for example, the high stress and temperature environments commonly found in the aerospace and nuclear industries.”
There will also be an introduction to experimental characterisation techniques available at state-of-the-art neutron and synchrotron X-ray facilities, such as the MAX IV research centre and the forthcoming ESS research centre. Both facilities are located just outside of Malmö.
Provided by the Faculty of Technology and Society, this programme is suitable for those with an engineering degree in mechanical engineering or a related field, at least 22.5 credits in mathematics and the equivalent of in Swedish secondary school English B or equivalent. The programme will be taught by renowned faculty members and passionate lecturers.
With the knowledge and training gained at Malmö, graduates of the programme will possess the skills deemed increasingly relevant to industry. Those with advanced knowledge on how to use computational techniques to construct virtual testing and materials characterisation environments will be well primed for the future job market.
Additionally, the programme prepares students “to be well-equipped and qualified for doctoral studies within materials science”, equipping them for success in research studies in other branches of technology and natural sciences, where programming and modelling skills are also required.
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