Daniel Rittel

Daniel Rittel is a Professor in the Department of Mechanical Engineering at Technion - Israel Institute of Technology, holding the Zandman Institute Chair in Experimental Mechanics. He heads the Materials Mechanics Center and Tribology Laboratory at Technion. His academic career spans visiting positions at Caltech, Universidad Carlos III (Madrid), and Beijing Institute of Technology, including roles as Honorary Professor and Chair of Excellence.

• PhD in Materials Science (1988), Hebrew University of Jerusalem
• Postdoctoral work: Yale University (1988-1990), Ecole Polytechnique (France) (1990-1994)

Rittel's research focuses on the thermomechanics and physics of dynamic failure in materials, covering topics like fracture mechanics, adiabatic shear banding, and hysteretic heating. He also contributes to biomechanics research in dental implants. His work involves experimental mechanics, constitutive modeling, and numerical simulations under extreme loading conditions.

His recent publications emphasize dynamic thermomechanical conversion in metals, stochastic modeling of bone-implant interfaces, and the interplay between microstructural and thermal softening in shear localization. These studies span materials science, biomedical engineering, and mechanical engineering disciplines.

• 2021: Acta Biomaterialia - bone-implant interface modeling
• 2019: Physical Review Letters - thermomechanical conversion reassessment
• 2017: J. Mech. Phys. Solids - Taylor-Quinney coefficient analysis

Scientific honors include:

• B. Lazan Award (2018), Society of Experimental Mechanics
• Gili Agostinelli Prize (2015), Torino Academy of Sciences
• Fellowships: ASME (2015), SEM (2012)
• Chevalier des Palmes Académiques (2019), France

As an academic leader, Rittel served as Deputy Senior Vice President (2011-2018) and Senate member (2008) at Technion. He advises doctoral students at Beijing Institute of Technology and contributes to academia through editorial roles in journals like Mechanics of Materials and International Journal of Impact Engineering.

He leads the Dynamic Fracture Laboratory at Technion and collaborates with institutions such as Universidad Carlos III (Madrid), Caltech, and University of Innsbruck through visiting positions and fellowships.