Afonso José Carvalho e Silva

Afonso J. C. Silva has obtained a master’s degree in Mechanical Engineering by the University of Aveiro in 2022. He works in areas of engineering sciences and technologies with a main emphasis on Mechanical Engineering and Biomechanics. Throughout his master's program, he demonstrated proficiency in several areas, including engineering drawing, mechanical behaviour of materials, computational modelling, and numerical simulation, specifically in the finite element method. He completed his dissertation in Biomechanics, titled "Development of a numerical model of the human neck," where he acquired individual skills in utilizing new programs, such as 3D Slicer, MeshMixer, Hypermesh, and Abaqus. He also gained new insights into biomechanics, including the kinematics and behaviour of the various components of the human neck.

He was granted a research fellowship in the BAFTHA (Biomechanical analysis of female head trauma) research project, where he continued to develop the cervical model created during his master's dissertation. During this period, he had the opportunity to participate in numerous international conferences, including IRCOBI 2022 - International Research Council on Biomechanics of Injury, where he served as a staff member. Most notably, he participated in the ESBiomech23 - 28th Congress of the European Society of Biomechanics as the first author on a poster presentation titled “Development of a Female Finite Element Model of the Cervical Spine”, which helped him disseminate his research findings. In the year 2024, his works were accepted in no fewer than 5 international conferences, featuring either poster or oral presentations, with a highlight on the newest edition of the Congress of the European Society of Biomechanics. Additionally, he is scheduled to submit 3 more publications on topics ranging from biomechanics, finite element analysis, and material characterization.

As the primary author, he has published several articles in international journals. The first, titled "Development of a Finite Element Model of the Cervical Spine and Validation of a Functional Spinal Unit," was published in the journal Applied Sciences. Subsequently, his latest scientific article, titled "Improvement and Validation of a Female Finite Element Model of the Cervical Spine," has been published in the Journal of the Mechanical Behavior of Biomedical Materials.

Currently, he is pursuing a PhD in Mechanical Engineering at the University of Aveiro and is involved in a new research project within the scope of a PRR (“Plano de Recuperação e Resiliência”) project, inserted in the ILLIANCE agenda (“Agenda Mobilizadora para a Inovação Empresarial”), where he is working directly with cork and cork composites in hydrogen application, with the intent of enhancing their safety. Simultaneously, he continues to contribute as a consultant to the BAFTHA research group and aspires to develop a future research topic that integrates the two areas he is currently working on: cork and biomechanics.