Welcome to the web site of the 6th International Conference on Materials Design and Applications 2026. The 6th International Conference on Materials Design and Applications 2024 will take place in Porto, Portugal, 2-3 July 2026. The conference venue is the campus of the Faculty of Engineering of the University of Porto (FEUP), which offers excellent facilities for high quality scientific interactions. FEUP is located in the town of Porto in the Northern region of Portugal. Porto is a beautiful and lively city, steeped in history and rich in great experiences. With its magnificent location by the Atlantic coast, Porto is the city of the world famous Port Wine and the River Douro.
This conference is held every two years in Porto and chaired by Prof Lucas F. M. da Silva.
The focus is on fundamental research and application areas in the field of the design and application of engineering materials, predominantly within the context of mechanical engineering applications such as automobile, railway, marine, aerospace, biomedical, pressure vessel technology, turbine technology, etc. This includes a wide range of materials engineering and technology, including metals, e.g., lightweight metallic materials, polymers, composites, and ceramics. Advanced applications would include manufacturing in the new or newer materials, testing methods, multi-scale experimental and computational aspects (e.g. micro- and nano-scale techniques).
Deadline for Submission of Abstracts:
6 March 2026
Notification of Acceptance to Authors:
20 March 2026
Early bird registration:
10 April 2026
Submission of full length papers (not compulsory to submit a paper):
2 July 2026
Call for Papers
Abstract template
Abstracts should be sent electronically to Lucas F M da Silva at lucas@fe.up.pt. Indicate in the email if you want oral or poster presentation.
Registration
Registration Form
To register for the Conference, please fill in the electronic
registration form. Each participant, including authors, is expected to pay the corresponding registration fee.
Early bird (Until 10th April 2026)
Regular delegate - 650 EUR
Student (MSc or PhD) - 550 EUR
Online - Videoconference - 400 EUR
Standard (From 11th April 2026)
Regular delegate - 750 EUR
Student (MSc or PhD) - 650 EUR
Online - Videoconference - 500 EUR
The conference fee includes book of abstracts, lunches, conference dinner, coffee-breaks and reception first day.
Cancellation Policy
In case of cancellation, a written notification should be sent to the conference chairman. If it is received prior to May 8th, 2026, registration fees will be refunded with a deduction of €75. No refund can be made after May 8th, 2026.
Payment of Conference Fee
Payments are accepted by bank transfer or credit card.
Secretariat
Ms. Lurdes Catalino
VIAGENS ABREU, S.A.
tel.: +351 222 043 573
fax: +351 222 043 693
lurdes.catalino@abreu.pt
Chairman
Lucas F M da Silva
Faculdade de Engenharia da Universidade do Porto, Portugal
lucas@fe.up.pt
International Scientific Committee
Abel Santos (University of Porto, Portugal)
Andrew Feeney (University of Glasgow, UK)
Alan Lim Teik Cheng (Singapore University of Social Sciences, Singapore)
Alberto Barroso (University of Seville, Spain)
Alessandro Pirondi (Università degli Studi di Parma, Italy)
Ali Delbariani-Nejad (Southern University of Science and Technology, Shenzhen, China)
Alireza Akhavan-Safar (INEGI, Portugal)
Alvaro Rodríguez-Prieto (UNED, Spain)
Amin Farrokhabadi (KU Leuven, Belgium)
Andreas Brunner (Retired Scientist, Zurich, Switzerland)
Anita Catapano (Institut Polytechnique de Bordeaux, France)
António Ferreira (University of Porto, Portugal)
Begoña Calvo Calzada (Universidad de Zaragoza, Spain)
Carlos A Andreucci (American International University-Kuwait, Kuwait)
Carlos Fernandes (University of Porto, Portugal)
Chiaki Sato (Tokyo Institute of Technology, Japan)
Çisem Kırbıyık Kurukavak (Konya Technical University, Turkey)
Dan Constantinescu (University Politechnica of Bucharest, Romania)
Davide Castagnetti (Università degli Studi di Modena e Reggio Emilia, Italy)
Dimitrios Chronopoulos (KU Leuven, Belgium)
Enrique Casarejos (Universidade de Vigo, Spain)
Enrique Cuan-Urquizo (Tecnológico de Monterrey, Mexico)
Fabrizio Moroni (Università degli Studi di Parma, Italy)
Fátima Vaz (University of Lisbon, Portugal)
Gianni Stano (Politecnico di Bari, Italy)
Hamid M Sedighi (Shahid Chamran University of Ahvaz, Iran)
Hongshuai Lei (Beijing Institute of Technology, China)
Hossein Kazemian (University of Northern British Columbia, Canada)
Ivelina Ivanova (Université de Reims Champagne-Ardenne, France)
Jorge Lino Alves (University of Porto, Portugal)
José Sena Cruz (University of Minho, Portugal)
Konrad Szustakiewicz (Politechnika Wrocławska, Poland)
Łukasz Sadowski (Wrocław University of Science and Technology, Poland)
Maciej Kupczyk (Poznan University of Technology, Poland)
Mickaël Lallart (INSA Lyon, France)
Murat Yazici (Bursa Uludag University, Turkey)
Paulo Martins (University of Lisbon, Portugal)
Paulo Tavares de Castro (University of Porto, Portugal)
Pierre-Sandre Farrugia (L-Università ta’ Malta, Malta)
Qingxiang Ji (FEMTO-ST, France)
Raviduth Ramful (University of Mauritius, Republic of Mauritius)
Ricardo Carbas (INEGI, Portugal)
Robert Adams (University of Oxford, UK)
Salah Mezlini (École Nationale d’Ingénieurs de Monastir, Tunisia)
Sean Leen (NUI Galway, Ireland)
Silvia De La Flor Lopez (Universitat Rovira I Virgili, Spain)
Silvio de Barros (CEFET/RJ, Brazil)
Tânia Vieira (Nova University Lisbon, Portugal)
Tomasz Chmielewski (Warsaw University of Technology, Poland)
Wim Van Paepegem (Ghent University, Belgium)
Xiao Han (Dalian University of Technology, China)
Yi Xiong (Southern University of Science and Technology, China)
Conference proceedings with the accepted abstracts will be available at the registration.
Full papers will be published in special issues of Proceedings of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers, Part L: Journal of Materials: Design and Applications (SAGE), Applied Research (Wiley) and in a book of the book series Advanced Structured Materials (SPRINGER) (provided they meet the quality standards).
The full papers (not compulsory) should be sent to lucas@fe.up.pt before the 2nd of July 2026. The text should be in single column format and double line spacing.
Soon available.
Metamaterials with Poisson’s ratio discontinuity
Prof Teik-Cheng Lim
(Singapore University of Social Sciences, Singapore)
Teik-Cheng Lim won a Faculty of Engineering Annual Book Prize for his undergraduate education at the National University of Singapore (NUS) and was awarded an NUS Research Scholarship to pursue his PhD at the same university. Teik-Cheng is currently Full Professor as well as the Head of the PhD (Engineering) and Master of Engineering programmes at the Singapore University of Social Sciences. His monographs include Auxetic Materials and Structures (Springer, 2015), Mechanics of Metamaterials with Negative Parameters (Springer, 2020) and A Partially Auxetic Metamaterial Inspired by the Maltese Cross (Cambridge University Press, 2022).
--
Thermal and mechanical metamaterials: Designing matter beyond nature
Dr Qingxiang Ji
(FEMTO-ST, France)
Qingxiang Ji obtained his 1st PhD diploma in Harbin Institute of Technology (China) and 2st PhD diploma in University Bourgogne Franche-Comté (France) in 2021. He worked as an assistant professor in Harbin Institute of Technology, then as a Marie Curie postdoctoral fellow in University Bourgogne Franche-Comté from September, 2024. He works in metamaterials with emphasis on novel thermal functionalities, e.g., invisibility, camouflage and nonreciprocity. He has published 37 peer-reviewed journal papers, 5 patents and got 6 funding projects (more than 300 k€).
--------------------------
Advances in 3D printing soft materials for bio-inspired soft robots equipped with intelligence
Dr Gianni Stano
(Polytechnic of Bari, Italy)
Dr Gianni Stano is an assistant professor of Mechanical Engineering at the Polytechnic of Bari, Italy. He was a visiting PhD student at the University of Texas at Dallas, USA in 2021-2022, and postdoctoral research fellow at Baylor University, USA in 2022-2023. His main research topics are: i) advancement of Material Extrusion 3D printing for the fabrication of soft robots, ii) 3D printing of biomimetic devices by processing dissimilar materials (i.e. soft and rigids), and iii) 3D printing of proprioceptive and exteroceptive sensors for soft robotics.
--
Obtaining scaffolds with tailored morphology
Dr Konrad Szustakiewicz
(Wrocław University of Science and Technology, Poland)
Konrad Szustakiewicz graduated from Technical University of Lodz (2007 - Master), and made his PhD in 2011 at Wrocław University of Science and Technology. He has been working at Wrocław University of Science and Technology, Department of Polymer Engineering and Technology for 17 years. Since 1.11.2024 he serves also as a Head of the Department. The main research area of scientific work covers the following topics: thermoplastic polymers processing, polymer/clay nanocomposites fabrication); biological properties of PLLA composites (cell response for composite materials, cell adhesion, cell viability, morphology and proliferation, scaffolds for bone tissue engineering).
Instructions for poster preparation
The poster size must be maximum A0 (841 mm x 1189 mm) in portrait (see sample image). The text and illustrations should be readable from a distance of two meters. Tacks and technical equipment for the hanging of posters will be available. Please check the conference final program for the poster board number assigned to you. Your poster should be displayed as per the number in the program.
Conference venue: Faculdade de Engenharia da Universidade do Porto
Rua Dr. Roberto Frias, 4200-465 Porto, Portugal
If you are arriving by subway (Metro), you should exit at IPO station (walking distance to FEUP).
Note that when travelling from Sá Carneiro airport and from the main train station (Campanhã), there is a SUBWAY/METRO connection, with transboarding in Trindade (Trindade Station) to the IPO station. Information on Metro.
Hotels
Please consult the list of hotels with special rates. To benefit from this, please access the registration area using online facilities.
For further information about travel and hotels, please contact:
Ms. Lurdes Catalino
Viagens Abreu, SA
Tel.: +351 222 043 573
Fax: +351 222 043 693
lurdes.catalino@abreu.pt
Beware of third parties selling hotel rooms for MDA2026.
These companies give the impression that they are the official handling agency and deceive congress participants by using a range of tactics often including unauthorized usage of the MDA2026.
ABREU EVENTS is the only official congress organizer appointed by the MDA2026 to handle accommodation options that are available on the registration form.
The best poster presentation will be awarded with a certificate and online access for 12 months to Proceedings of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers, Part L: Journal of Materials: Design and Applications.
The best oral presentation will be awarded with a certificate and online access for 24 months to Proceedings of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers, Part L: Journal of Materials: Design and Applications.
