Julia Maurer

Julia Maurer is a researcher at the University of Applied Sciences Upper Austria's Research Center Wels, actively contributing to the Automotive/Mobility, Energy, and Smart Production Centers of Excellence with a focal specialization in Computed Tomography and Materials. Her work bridges advanced imaging techniques with industrial applications in hydrogen technology and composite materials development.

Her research expertise centers on X-ray Computed Tomography (X-CT) for materials characterization, with particular emphasis on fiber-reinforced polymers, composite failure analysis, and hydrogen-compatible material systems. She investigates damage mechanisms in PPS composites under high-pressure hydrogen conditions, fiber orientation in polypropylene matrices, and the deformation behavior of polymer blends containing PTFE additives. This work directly addresses critical challenges in sustainable energy infrastructure and automotive component design.

Recent publications reveal a concentrated research trajectory toward solving hydrogen storage and transportation challenges through advanced materials characterization. Her work demonstrates how X-CT enables 3D visualization of microstructural damage in composites, providing unprecedented insights into failure mechanisms under operational stresses. This approach has proven vital for developing safer hydrogen-compatible components like piston rings and packing seals.

Dr. Maurer has secured significant research funding through projects including HyBRID (2023-2025), focusing on high-pressure hydrogen applications with IBW/EFRE & JTF 2021-2027 funding, and the CT-Phd project (2019-2022) with Borealis support for damage characterization in fiber-reinforced polymers. Her collaborative work spans academic-industrial partnerships with organizations like Borealis and involves close coordination with researchers including Kastner J., Plank B., and Burgstaller C.

She operates within the Computed Tomography research ecosystem at Research Center Wels, leveraging specialized facilities for X-CT analysis of advanced materials. Her work integrates with Automotive/Mobility and Energy Centers of Excellence to develop next-generation materials solutions for hydrogen infrastructure, where her focus on material degradation mechanisms under hydrogen exposure directly informs component reliability and safety standards.