About M2i2:
Materials Modelling Leaders

We are building the first multiscale materials modelling platform unlocking value across aerospace, automotive and energy sectors.

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Our Mission

Material simulations for-all
By using generative-AI and physics-based models we will deliver easy-to-use, real-time insights on material behaviour.

Rapid product development
By enabling these rapid data-driven material and design choices we can cut months off R&D cycles for customers.

Additive manufacturing with ease
By delivering rapid, accurate simulations we help unlock the full potential of 3D-printing technologies.

Our Vision

To develop the first multiscale materials modelling platform unlocking value across aerospace, automotive and energy sectors.

Meet the Team

Chief Technology Officer

Prof. Hector Basoalto

Professor Hector Basoalto has worked both within industry and academia, leading research teams at QinetiQ, the AFRC (HVM Catapult) as well as computational groups at the University of Birmingham and now at the University of Sheffield. His research activities focus on the development of multi-scale materials models to establish causal relationships between material microstructure, manufacturing routes and component in-service behaviour.

Chief Executive Officer

Dr. Lucia Scotti

Dr Lucia Scotti is a computational engineer with experience in mathematical modelling in materials science, and has worked closely with both SMEs and large enterprises. Her research interests include modelling liquation and solidification in welding and additive manufacture using CFD to developing an architecture for Digital Treads.

Chief Scientific Officer

Prof. Burigede Liu

Burigede Liu is Granta Design Assistant Professor at the University of Cambridge. He received his Ph.D. in Engineering at University of Cambridge in 2019. He was a postdoc in Department of Mechanical and Process Engineering at ETH Zurich (2019) and a postdoctoral fellow in Mechanical and Civil Engineering at California Institute of Technology (2019-2021). Prof Liu's research interest includes data-driven mechanics; uncertainty quantification of materials; micro-mechanics of metals, composites and mechanical meta-materials as well as quantum computing.

Head of Software

Sourabh Supanekar

Sourabh Supanekar is a Mechanical Engineer specialising in Computational Mechanics with experience in developing physics based computational models and high-performance computing to simulate material behaviour. He has also worked in software development for the space industry (ESA/ESOC). His research interests focus on but are not limited to multiscale materials modelling, ICME, Crystal Plasticity, Welding. He is currently working on a Rolls-Royce plc. funded project focusing on understanding the microstructural changes during Rotary Friction Welding (RFW).

Head of Technical Development

Dr. Miguel Espadero

Miguel Espadero is a mechanical engineer with a focus on physics-based modelling. He holds a PhD in materials modelling from the University of Birmingham and has extensive experience translating scientific research into practical industrial solutions. As a research associate at the University of Sheffield, he has collaborated on projects with Rolls-Royce, contributing to the development of microstructure-sensitive modelling frameworks. His research explores how changes in microstructure during advanced manufacturing processes influence the mechanical properties and overall performance of metals and alloys.

Executive Chair

Dr. Richard Holliday

A materials engineer, Richard’s 30-year career spans industry, investment and entrepreneurship. Starting his career in automotive R&D with JLR, Richard moved into global technology scouting and investing for the precious metals industry, before joining Oxford University Innovation. There he focused on IP licensing and the creation of spinouts in materials and engineering, joining the C-suite for one of these businesses, Bodle Technologies. More recently Richard has been supporting a new generation of deeptech entrepreneurs, directing startup support programmes for the Royal Society of Chemistry, as well as inspiring new academic entrepreneurs in his role as an Expert-in-Residence (Materials & Manufacturing) for the Universities of Sheffield, Leeds and Manchester.

About M2i2: Materials Modelling Leaders