Visiting Mathematics Professor Program

Prof. Paolo Piovano

November 2020 - January 2021

Dr. Piovano’s current research investigations relate to the mathematical modeling in the framework of continuum and molecular mechanics with special emphasis to the applications in the context of materials science, nanostructure design, and more recently, bio-engineering. The focus is on the geometry and stability of carbon allotropes, the morphology of epitaxially strained thin films, and the regeneration of bone tissue in polymeric scaffolds. The mathematical analysis consists in the derivation of proper free boundary problems, gradient flows, and atomistic models, and in validating such descriptions by means of variational techniques, methods for PDEs, and the geometric measure theory. As the ultimate goal is to select reliable models in agreement with the experimental evidence, the investigations present an interdisciplinary aspect, especially by benefiting from the active cooperation with applied scientists.