Research at MEDHA Lab
MEDHA Lab integrates advanced manufacturing techniques, fracture mechanics, and physics-informed AI to design damage-tolerant materials for extreme environments. Our research focuses on structural materials, including high-entropy alloys (HEAs), investigating how composition, processing, and hierarchical microstructures govern material behaviour, damage, and performance under extreme environmental conditions. By combining materials processing, mechanical and fracture analysis, and data-driven approaches, we develop pathways for materials discovery and design, with applications in aerospace, hypersonic systems, nuclear energy, and green hydrogen.
Funding Sources: National Research Foundation, Ministry of Education, and Nanyang Technological University Scholarship
Our Research Approach
Materials Selection and Design
Advanced Manufacturing
Microstructure & Mechanisms
Extreme-Environment Performance
Physics-Informed AI/ML
Inverse Materials & Structure Design
Key Research Areas
Advanced Manufacturing Techniques
Materials in Extreme Environments
Physics-Informed AI/ML for Materials Discovery
Current Projects
Discovery of structural materials for extreme environments by integrating advanced manufacturing, fracture mechanics, and data science - Funded by NTU, Singapore
This project aims to accelerate the discovery of damage-tolerant materials for extreme temperatures and harsh environments. Its central innovation is an AI-driven, high-throughput experimental framework integrating additive manufacturing, automated characterization, and fracture mechanics to rapidly design, test, and learn from candidate materials. This closed-loop approach will shorten the materials discovery cycle for aerospace, nuclear, and sustainable energy technologies.
AI-driven design of damage-tolerant multi-principal element alloys for extreme environments via additive manufacturing
- Funded by National Research Foundation Singapore
This project aims to develop metallic alloys that retain exceptional strength and fracture toughness across extreme temperatures—from the high temperatures of jet engines to the cryogenic conditions of liquefied-hydrogen systems. The central innovation is a fracture-informed materials discovery framework that integrates additive manufacturing, multiscale microstructure design, and physics-based AI/ML. By linking experiments with fracture simulations, the project seeks to accelerate the discovery of damage-tolerant materials for safer, longer-lasting, and more reliable energy and aerospace technologies.
Functionally graded surfaces for hydrogen embrittlement resistance in high-strength steels
- Funded by Ministry of Education
This project aims to develop functionally graded surfaces that protect high-strength steels from hydrogen embrittlement. The central innovation is a metallurgically bonded, compositionally graded surface created through laser alloying to control hydrogen ingress, trapping, and transport. Unlike conventional coatings that can delaminate or degrade during service, these engineered surface layers provide durable protection while retaining the strength and structural performance of the underlying steel, enabling safer materials for hydrogen storage, transport, and energy systems.