Nikhil Medhekar

Professor Nikhil Medhekar is a faculty member in the Department of Materials Science and Engineering at Monash University, Australia. He holds a PhD from Brown University and has extensive expertise in computational materials science, focusing on energy storage, nanotechnology, and sustainable engineering. His research employs advanced simulations to design novel materials for next-generation technologies, including batteries and optoelectronics. He is an active member of the ARC Centre of Excellence in Future Low Energy Technologies (FLEET) and the ARC Industrial Transformation Research Hub on Advanced Manufacturing of Two-Dimensional Materials (AM2D).

Education:

• PhD in Engineering, Brown University, USA
• Sc. M. in Applied Mathematics, Brown University, USA
• M.Tech in Mechanical Engineering, IIT Bombay, India
• B.Eng in Mechanical Engineering, University of Pune, India

Research Interests: Computational mechanics, nanoscale materials, quantum dots, nanowires, graphene, and energy applications. His work integrates quantum mechanical simulations, molecular dynamics, and phase-field modeling.

Grants & Collaborations: Current projects include investigations into magnesium batteries, solid-state precipitates in aluminum alloys, and 2D materials manufacturing. He leads or co-leads six major research projects funded by the Australian Research Council and industry partners.

Awards: 2014 Young Tall Poppy Award, 2008 Materials Research Society Silver Award, and 2008 William N. Findley Award.

Labs & Teams: Leads the Computational Materials Lab at Monash, focusing on atomistic simulations and materials design. Collaborates with global institutions like MIT, Tsinghua University, and the Max Planck Society.