Internship : AI approach for the study of damage and the prediction of cracking in complex materials

Discipline : CERI MP

Line Manager : Nikzad MOTAMEDI

Workplace : :  IMT Nord Europe Centres de Recherche Matériaux et Procédés 764, Boulevard Lahure 59508 Douai

Type of contract and duration : Internship (6 months)

Context :

Public establishment belonging to IMT (Institut Mines-Télécom), placed under the supervision of the Ministry of Economy, Finance and Industrial and Digital Sovereignty, IMT Nord Europe has three main objectives: providing our students with ethically responsible engineering practice enabling them to solve 21st century issues, carrying out our R&D activities leading to outstanding innovations and supporting territorial development through innovation and entrepreneurship. Ideally positioned at the heart of Europe, 1 hour away from Paris, 30 min from Brussels and 1h30 from London, IMT Nord Europe has strong ambitions to become a main actor of the current industrial transitions, digital and environmental, by combining education and research on engineering and digital technologies.

Located on two main campuses dedicated to research and education in Douai and Lille, IMT Nord Europe offers research facilities of almost 20,000m² in the following areas:

•              Digital science,

•              Energy and Environment,

•              Materials and Processes.

For more details, visit the School’s website : www.imt-nord-europe.fr

The position is to be filled within the Center for Teaching, Research and Innovation in Materials & Processes (CERI MP):

Mainly active in the fields of transportation and civil engineering, the Center for Teaching, Research and Innovation in Materials & Processes (CERI MP) covers a wide range of applications such as agri-food, medical, and renewable energy sectors. The Research Center works on a broad variety of materials including those used in civil engineering (hydraulic binders and geopolymers, concretes, bituminous materials, sediments, slags, bottom ash, bio-based materials, 3D printing, etc.), polymers (thermoplastics, polymer blends, bio-based polymers, recycled polymers, compounding, 3D printing, etc.) and composite materials (thermoplastic and thermosetting matrices, conventional and bio-based reinforcements, RTM, resin infusion, laser welding, etc.)

Understanding and predicting crack propagation represent a major scientific and technological challenge for mechanical engineering and structural durability. Complex materials, such as composites, exhibit multiple and nonlinear damage mechanisms, making it difficult to anticipate their in-service behavior.

Internship Objective:

The objective of this internship is to study crack propagation in these materials based on the analysis of time series obtained from mechanical tests or numerical simulations. The use of Temporal Convolutional Neural Networks (TCN) will be explored to develop a robust predictive model capable of capturing both local and global damage evolution.

This project is part of CERI MP’s research activities on material behavior modeling and the development of innovative numerical tools for mechanics. The proposed approach will help strengthen the link between experimental data and numerical models while leveraging recent deep learning techniques.

Missions:

1. Analyze crack propagation in complex materials (composites) using experimental and/or numerical data.

3. Develop a predictive model based on time series data using Temporal Convolutional Networks (TCN).

5. Assess the model’s ability to anticipate damage and contribute to a better understanding and prediction of structural lifetime.

REQUIRED PROFILE :

·         Final-year engineering student or Master’s student in materials science, mechanics, or data science.

·         Skills in material mechanics, artificial intelligence (Machine Learning/Deep Learning), and numerical simulation.

·         Autonomy, rigor, analytical mindset, and ability to work in a team.

CONDITIONS :

The job is to be filled as to 15 /02/2026  for a period of 6  months.    

INFORMATION AND APPLICATION METHODS :

·         For any information on the missions, please contact  Nikzad Motamedi, Dmytro Vasiukov.

·         Nikzad Motamedi : nikzad.motamedi@imt-nord-europe.fr

·         Dmytro Vasiukov : dmytro.vasiukov@imt-nord-europe.fr

·         For any administrative information, please contact the Human Resources Department: jobs@imt-nord-europe.fr

This job is offered to civil servants on a mobility basis, or on a contractual basis under public law.

In addition, the position can be adapted for a disabled person.

DEADLINE DATE FOR SUBMISSIONS : 20/12/2026