LAETA's president receives European grant to create new generation of composites

Pedro Camanho, LAETA`s president, received a grant from the European Research Council (ERC), within the scope of the Advanced Grants 2023 program, to create a new generation of composite materials that allow the development of the aerospace sector. He is the only researcher from a Portuguese institution to win this scholarship.

With European funding of 3.5 million euros, over the next five years, Pedro Camanho will dedicate himself to the study of a new generation of unconventional composite materials that are critical for the development of the aerospace sector.

This work will be carried out under the INELASTIC project, which aims to reduce the weight and improve the efficiency of aeronautical structures through the combination of physical models at various scales with artificial intelligence. The project also aims to reduce the environmental footprint of aviation.

"It is with great excitement that I receive the news of having been selected to receive a grant from the European Research Council. It is a unique opportunity to develop a research project that could create the knowledge necessary to develop a new generation of materials and structures that enhance the decarbonization of the aerospace industry”, says Pedro Camanho.

A career recognized 

Pedro Manuel Ponces Rodrigues de Castro Camanho has a PhD from the Department of Aeronautics at Imperial College London, is a researcher at INEGI and is a member of its governing bodies. He is also a full Professor in the Department of Mechanical Engineering of the Faculty of Engineering of the University of Porto and President of the Associated Laboratory of Energy, Transport and Aerospace (LAETA).

As a researcher, Pedro Camanho has dedicated himself to studying the deformation and fracture mechanisms of advanced composite materials, as well as developing new concepts for multifunctional composite materials for the aerospace sector.

Throughout his career, Pedro Camanho has coordinated several research projects funded by the European Space Agency, Airbus, NASA, Embraer, Daimler, Aernnova, the European Union, FCT and the US Air Force. Between 2000 and 2011, he was a visiting scientist at the NASA Langley Research Center, having received the NASA H.J.E. Award in 2006. Reid Award for Outstanding Scientific Paper. He is a corresponding member of the Lisbon Academy of Sciences and a Fellow of the Royal Aeronautical Society (United Kingdom).