Welcome to Jacopo Bilotto, new PhD student at LSMS
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Jacopo obtained his Master's degree in Mechanical Engineering at Sapienza University of Rome, in January 2023. He was awarded an EPFLglobaLeaders doctoral fellowship, and joined LSMS team on 1st March 2023. He is enrolled in the EDME Doctoral Program in Mechanics.
A few questions to Jacopo :
What is your field of research?
I will study granular flows related to the food processing industry. Granular systems are omnipresent in nature and in engineering processes, spanning scales from the sand grains in table hourglass to asteroids orbiting in space. My research will use a combination of simulations, modelling and experiments to understand the interplay between granular media and its confining media (e.g roughness), for particles resembling real crops. I will also try to identify which parameters are critical for jamming transitions in confined environments, to have a better control over it.
Why did you choose this field and what are you particularly enthusiastic about?
Reducing food waste in industrial processes could be a significant step towards a sustainable society. Many of the machineries currently in use were designed with empirical methods, which science can drive in the right direction. Besides the sustainability aspect, I find the physics of granular matter fascinating. Depending on the situation it can act as a gas, fluid or solid. This will allow me to combine my passion for solid and fluid mechanics to study these complex systems that surround us in our everyday life.
Outside the lab, what do you enjoy doing most ?
I enjoy playing basketball, doing sports and outdoor activities in general. I also like roaming on Youtube, learning random things I systematically forget. And I am always curious to try new things.