Dr. Sandra Hoppe

As a research assistant in the Insitute of Advanced Ceramics at Hamburg University of Technology, I am working in the field of Computational Materials Science, especially ab initio methods such as density functional theory (DFT). These methods allow us to predict properties of various materials on an atomic scale based on physical laws without any empirical input.

I took part in a Joint European Masters program in materials science, including classes about basic knowledge concerning polymers, technical ceramics and metals and their use in today's industry. Within my master's thesis I specialized in atomistic simulation.

Within the Joint European Master program, I spent one exchange semester at the partner university in Aalborg, Denmark. My main focus during this time was a project about polyurethane foam reinforced with nanocrystalline cellulose.

Within an Erasmus exchange at the Universidad Politécnica Valencia, Spain, I took the opportunity to learn an additional widely spoken language and attended several classes taught in Spanish. Apart from the academic benefit, I learned to immerse myself in a different culture.

While my Bachelor program included fundamentals in mechanical, process and electrical engineering, I later specialized in the field of materials science.