Andreas Münch ♦ Complex Materials

Most materials we encounter in applications and in everyday life are made up of different components and often have a complex micro- and nanostructure. Their overall properties are the result of the interplay between the constituents and the multi-scale structure. My goal is to understand and predict, through mathematical modelling, analysis and numerical simulation, the behaviour of complex materials that underlies physical phenomena and technological applications. I greatly enjoy developing mathematical methods to construct a theory of the essential features, reduce complexity and at the same time identify subtle analytical properties.

Application fields

Suspensions
Polymer liquids
Interfaces
Organic photovoltaics
Crystal nano-patterns

Mathematical methods & areas

Singular perturbation & multi-scale methods
Phase-field models
Scientific computing
Free boundary problems
Conservation laws and shocks

Projects: For Dphil or MMSc or 4th year undergraduate projects, please contact me by email (muench 'at' maths.ox.ac.uk) or my departmental contact form. Below is a selection of my former and present doctoral students and their projects.

Doctoral/Dphil Students

(2019-) Catalina Pesce
Singularities in Degenerate Cahn-Hilliard Equations
(Co-supervision with Amy Novick-Cohen, Technion)

(2016-2021) Atilla Kovács
Modelling the Feeding Process for Aluminium Production
(Co-supervision with Chris Breward and James Oliver, Mathematical Institute, Oxford, and SA Halvorsen and E Nordgård-Hansen)

(2016-2021) Raquel González-Fariña
Modelling the Mechanisms of Microsilica Particle Formation and Growth
(Co-supervision with James Oliver, Mathematical Institute, Oxford, and Robert van Gorder, Department of Mathematics and Statistics, University of Otago)

(2015-2018) Quentin Parsons
Continuum modelling and numerical approaches for energy minimisation in diblock copolymers
(Co-supervision with David Kay, Computer Science, Oxford)

(2010-2014) Matthew Hennessy
Mathematical problems relating to the fabrication of organic photovoltaic devices
(Co-supervision with Colin Please and Chris Breward, Oxford)

(2011-2016) Marion Dziwnik
Dewetting of thin solid films
(Co-supervision with Barbara Wagner, TU Berlin)

(2012-2015) Tobias Ahnert
Mathematical modeling of concentrated suspensions
(Co-supervision with Barbara Wagner, TU Berlin)

(2006-2010) Maciek Korzec
Continuum modeling, analysis and simulation of the self-assembly of thin crystalline films
(Co-supervision with Barbara Wagner, TU Berlin)

(2004-2008) Dirk Peschka
Self-Similar Rupture of Thin Liquid Films with Slippage
(Co-supervision with Barbara Niethammer, HU Berlin)