Laurent Beland

Laurent Beland is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Mechanical and Materials Engineering at Queen's University, affiliated with Smith Engineering. His research focuses on computational materials physics, combining atomistic simulation techniques (density functional theory, molecular dynamics) with machine learning for materials discovery and analysis. He holds a PhD (2014) and BSc (2008) in Physics from Université de Montréal, with postdoctoral experience at Oak Ridge National Laboratory and MIT, specializing in nuclear materials and cement durability.

Research Interests:

• Mechanical & materials engineering
• Physical chemistry of materials
• Quantum physics and AI applications
• Simulation of amorphous and crystalline materials

His group develops methods like accelerated dynamics, coarse-grained simulations, and neural networks for analyzing electron micrographs. Current supervision includes postdoctoral fellows Hao Sun and Yaoting Zhang. Research highlights include studies on zirconium hydrides, cement sorption, and interatomic potentials for silica and sodium-based systems.

Key collaborations involve nuclear material durability, with work on radiation damage in alloys and environmental interactions in clays. His methods bridge atomistic and mesoscale modeling, advancing predictive capabilities for material behavior under extreme conditions.