Abhijeet Dhal

I am a materials scientist and mechanical engineer specializing in the micromechanics, processing and characterization of advanced structural materials. My research focuses on understanding how microstructure, interfaces and processing influence deformation and failure across multiple length scales, particularly under extreme conditions. I combine advanced micromechanical testing, electron microscopy, materials processing and computational approaches to develop materials with improved strength, durability and thermal stability.

At Tampere University, I conduct research on the mechanical behaviour of advanced materials, with particular emphasis on high-strength and high-temperature materials and materials for extreme applications. My responsibilities include experimental design, micro- and nanomechanical testing, microstructural characterization, scientific publishing, development of research proposals and collaboration with multidisciplinary research teams. I also contribute to mentoring students and developing new experimental approaches for studying materials at small length scales.

My expertise lies at the intersection of micromechanics, nanomechanical testing, physical metallurgy and advanced materials processing. 

(i) Mechanical testing: Nanoindentation, high-temperature and in-situ mechanical testing, FIB milled micropillar/micro-cantilver compression. 

(ii) Characterization: SEM, EBSD, TEM and XRD. 

(iii) Materials processing:  Laser Based Additive Manufacturing, Friction-Stir Processing, Severe Plastic Deformation, Powder Metallurgy and Heat Treatment.

(iv) Computational: CALPHAD, FEM, numerical analysis and machine-learning-assisted approaches to establish processing-microstructure-property relationships.

·         Best Poster Award, MCP Annual Meeting, Johns Hopkins University (2025).

·         Certificate of Appreciation in Peer Review, Journal of The Institution of Engineers: Series C (2024).

·         JOM Editor’s Choice & Top 5% Article, TMS (2023).

·         Support for Sustaining for Research grant, IIT Madras (2020).

·         Best poster presentation, ASM HT&SE (2019).

·         Institute Research Scholar Award, IIT Madras (2017).

·         Alumni Travel Grant, IIT Madras (2016).

Peer reviewer for international journals:

Materials Science & Engineering A, JOM, Advanced Engineering Materials, International Journal of Advanced Manufacturing Technology, Journal of The Institution of Engineers (India): Series C

Total review completed = 53.

Professional Society Membership:

Member - The Minerals, Metals & Materials Society (TMS)

Member - Shaping and Forming Committee, TMS Materials Processing & Manufacturing Division

My long-term research goal is to develop a mechanistic understanding of how microstructure, interfaces and defects control material behaviour under extreme conditions, and to translate this understanding into the design of more durable, lightweight and resource-efficient structural materials.

A particular objective is to bridge the gap between nanoscale deformation mechanisms and engineering-scale material performance by combining high-resolution experiments, advanced characterization, physics-based materials design and data-driven approaches. Ultimately, I aim to establish integrated processing-structure-property-performance correlations that enable the design of next-generation materials for demanding energy, transportation and high-temperature applications.

• Micro- and nanomechanics of advanced structural materials
• High-temperature and extreme-environment mechanical behaviour
• Nanostructured and interface-engineered alloys
• Thermally stable high-strength aluminium alloys
• High-entropy and compositionally complex alloys
• Additively manufactured metallic materials
• Refractory and fusion-relevant materials
• Deformation-induced phase transformations
• Mechanical heterogeneity and local deformation mechanisms
• High-throughput mechanical characterization
• Machine-learning-assisted materials characterization
• Processing-microstructure-property relationships

My research spans materials science and engineering, mechanical engineering, physical metallurgy, micromechanics, nanomechanics, advanced manufacturing and computational materials engineering. Specific fields include structural metallic materials, aluminium alloys, high-entropy alloys, refractory materials, additive manufacturing, nanostructured materials, severe plastic deformation, electron microscopy and mechanical behaviour under extreme temperature and strain-rate conditions.

I joined Tampere University in June 2026 as a Postdoctoral Research Associate in Materials Science and Environmental Engineering, working in the Mechanical Behavior of Engineering Materials research group. My current research focuses on micromechanics and the development and characterization of advanced high-strength and high-temperature materials for extreme applications.

From 2024 to 2026, I worked as an Assistant Research Scientist at the Hopkins Extreme Materials Institute, Johns Hopkins University, where I led experimental activities for an NSF-funded programme on high-strength aluminium alloys and contributed to an ARPA-E fusion-materials project involving nanostructured tungsten alloys.

From 2021 to 2024, I was a Postdoctoral Research Associate at the University of North Texas, where I established and developed nanomechanical research capabilities and investigated additively manufactured alloys, high-entropy alloys, aluminium alloys and refractory materials using multiscale mechanical testing and characterization.

Before moving to the United States, I worked as a Project Officer at the Indian Institute of Technology Madras, coordinating a government–industry–academia research programme and developing advanced thermomechanical processing approaches for nanostructured metallic materials. I received my M.S. and Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering from IIT Madras, where my doctoral research focused on the microformability and deformation behaviour of aluminium alloys with engineered coarse- to ultrafine-grained microstructures.

1.     A. Dhal, S. Mukherjee, R. Jain, R.S. Haridas, R.S. Mishra; Decoding deformation-induced phase transformation in a high entropy alloy via nanoindentation pop-in phenomenon, Materials Research Letters, 2025 (link).

2.     P. Awasthi, A. Dhal, M. Fredrick, R.S. Mishra; Near Crack Free Additive Manufacturing of a Novel W-Nb-C Alloy; Material Research Letters, 2024 (link).

3.     A. Roy, A. Dhal, C. Mock, B.A. McWilliams, K.C. Cho, R.S. Mishra; Deciphering mechanical heterogeneity of additively manufactured martensitic steel using high throughput nanoindentation combined with machine learning, Additive Manufacturing, 2024 (link).

4.     P. Agrawal, A. Dhal, Z. Hu, M. Dubey, L. Shao, R. Prabhakaran, R.S. Mishra; Irradiation-induced shift in the thermodynamic stability of phases and the self-healing effect in transformative high entropy alloys, Journal of Nuclear Materials, 155093, 2024 (link).

5.     A. Dhal, S. Thapliyal, P. Agrawal, A. Sharma, A. Roy, R.S. Mishra, E. Faierson; Multimodal and multiscale strengthening mechanisms in Al-Ni-Zr-Ti-Mn alloy processed by laser powder bed fusion additive manufacturing, Materials & Design, 237, 112602, 2024 (link).

6.     A. Gumaste, A. Dhal, P. Agrawal, R.S. Haridas, V.K. Vasudevan, D. Weiss, R.S. Mishra; A novel approach for enhanced mechanical properties in solid-state additive manufacturing by additive friction stir deposition using thermally stable Al-Ce-Mg alloy, JOM, 208, 1-14, 2023 (link).

7.     A. Dhal, R.S. Haridas, P. Agrawal, S. Gupta, R.S. Mishra; Mapping hierarchical and heterogeneous micromechanics of a transformative high entropy alloy by nanoindentation and machine learning augmented clustering, Materials & Design, 230, 111957, 2023 (link).

8.     A. Dhal, S.K. Panigrahi, M.S. Shunmugam; A comprehensive study on size-effect, plastic anisotropy and microformability of aluminum with varied alloy chemistry, crystallographic texture, and microstructure, Material Science and Engineering A, 876, 2023 (link).

9.     A. Dhal, S.K. Panigrahi, M.S. Shunmugam; Achieving excellent microformability by engineering a unique ultrafine-grained microstructure”, Scientific Reports, 9, 2019 (link).

10.     A. Dhal, S.K. Panigrahi, M.S. Shunmugam; Insight into the microstructural evolution during cryo-severe plastic deformation and post-deformation annealing of aluminum and its alloys, Journal of Alloys Compounds, 726, 1205-1219, 2017 (link).