Cnrs Appl Let Michel 09 01

Dr rer. nat. Thomas M. Michelitsch Lecturer Professor Alain COMBESCURE Director UMR5514 INSTITUT NATIONAL DES SCIENCES APPLIQUEES LYON bat. Jean d'Alembert 20 Av Albert Einstein 69621 VILLEURBANNE CEDEX CNRS France 31st December, 2006

Sir Frederick Mappin Building Mappin Street Sheffield S1 3JD United Kingdom

Telephone: +44 (0) 114 22 25765 Fax: +44 (0) 114 22 25700 Email: [email protected]

Application as a senior scientist 2nd class, competition N°09/01

Dear Professor Combescure: Please find enclosed my application as a senior scientist 2nd class on the position announced in competition N°09/01 on the website http://www.sg.cnrs.fr/ . I have been working as a lecturer for the third year in the Dept. of Civil & Structural Engineering at the University of Sheffield. I am highly mathematical-analytical oriented with strong commitment in developing solution techniques for problems of applied mathematics. One of my specialities is to find new creative and elegant ways of solutions to problems. My areas of research include presently problems of analytical mechanics of materials such as dynamical problems of electro-elastic coupled (piezoelectric) materials, material Green’s functions and dynamic variants of Eshelby inclusion problems together with boundary value- and initial value problems. Very recently I started research on the lattice dynamics of self-similar (fractal) gaskets. Based on my broad background due to my education in physics, I am interested in fundamental problems of applied mathematics and theoretical physics. To establish an interdiciplinary research program/group would be of great interest for me. I received my education in physics at the University of Stuttgart, Germany. In 1990 I received my degree (Diplom-Physiker) with a thesis on “Thermodynamics of Disturbed Lattices” where I investigated theoretically by utilizing concepts of Group Theory the influence of defects with given symmetry on the oscillation spectra of disturbed lattices and on thermodynamic observables. In 1994, I graduated with the “Dr. rer. nat.” degree at the Institute of Physics, Max Planck Institute for Metals Research/Univ. of Stuttgart with highest ratings. My doctoral thesis was devoted to a topic of theoretical Solid State Physics, namely “Defects in hexagonal crystals – Theory of diffuse X-ray scattering and continuum theory”. By utilizing concepts of analytical mechanics such as Green’s functions, I determined the characteristics of X-ray scattering profiles due to the presence of dislocations and point defects and deduced a Green’s function which connects a geometrical defect described by an incompatibility and the internal stresses. My doctoral research project was supported by a prestigious doctoral grant “Landesgraduiertenstipendium” from the state BadenWürttemberg.

During the past 12 years I have been working as postdoctoral researcher and scientist in different renowned institutions, (see my CV) and established a network of fruitful scientific collaborations with leading scientists in their fields of theoretical physics and materials sciences/analytical mechanics from all over the world. Among them are the references enclosed in my CV. From 2001-2004 I was leading the Smart Materials Group in the department “Theory of Mesoscopic Phenomena” at the Max Planck Institute for Metals Research, Stuttgart (Germany). The research at Max Planck Institute was mainly focused on the development of mathematical-analytical solution techniques in the framework of the research project “Mathematical Modelling of the Dynamic Characteristics in Piezocomposites” which was supported by the German Research Council (Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft -DFG) for the entire period of maximum duration of three years. The outcome of this project is reflected by a series of 11 scientific research papers, 6 papers were published in international journals, among them such renowned ones as Proceedings of the Royal Society and Quarterly Journal of Mechanics and Applied Mathematics (QJMAM). Some of these papers have attracted considerable attention in the materials science community. As a consequence I was invited for a professorship at University Tec de Monterrey in Mexico City in 2004 which I did not take up due to my present appointment as a lecturer at the University of Sheffield which I started in May 2004. Beside my strong research record, I also have got a broad experience of teaching. Especially during the past three years at the University of Sheffield, I have been teaching courses of applied mathematics for engineers and physicists at all levels. Due to my strong mathematical-analytical background I am the staff member responsible liaising all mathematics related activities and issues in the department. I am very enthusiastic in both research and teaching. My view is that teaching and research mutually inspire each other. To conduct research in an inspiring scientific interdiciplinary environment and to teach motivated students in your renowned institution would be a great challenge and honour for me. Please confirm receipt of my application and do not hesitate to contact me at anytime for any further information. Thank you very much for your kind support. Sincerely yours,

Dr. Thomas M. Michelitsch PhD, John Carr Lecturer Dept of Civil and Structural Engineering University of Sheffield

Encl.: Application materials: CV, publication list with 6 references and concise statements of teachingand research interests, 5 representative papers, copies of degrees certificates (“Dr. rer. nat.” and “Diplom”), and a suggested research program.