BCAM's Postdoc Fellow, Kanika Rajain, selected as SEMA Nominee for the 2025 ECCOMAS PhD Awards

• The Spanish Society for Applied Mathematics (SEMA) has officially Rajain’s doctoral thesis as a candidate for the prestigious ECCOMAS Awards for the Two Best PhD Theses in 2025.
• This nomination recognizes the highest level of research excellence within the European community of computational methods in applied sciences.

BCAM is thrilled to announce that the Spanish Society for Applied Mathematics (SEMA) has officially chosen Kanika Rajain’s (Postdoc Fellow / Mathematical Design, Modelling and Simulations) doctoral thesis as a candidate for the prestigious ECCOMAS Awards for the Two Best PhD Theses in 2025.

This nomination recognizes the highest level of research excellence within the European community of computational methods in applied sciences.

Kanika defended her thesis, "5-Axis Computer Numerically Controlled (CNC) Flank Milling of Free-Form Surfaces Using Straight and Custom-Shaped Tools",  under the supervision Michael Barton (Group Leader.Ikerbasque Research Associate Professor Mathematical Design, Modelling and Simulations) on the 23rd of January 2025.  Rajain’s research introduces a novel mathematical optimization framework. Her work focuses on drastically improving precision in the industrial manufacturing of complex surfaces—such as turbine blades—by optimizing the movement and shape of cutting tools.

She holds a Master of Science in Mathematics from the National Institute of Technology, Odisha (Rourkela), India, and an undergraduate degree in Mathematics from Delhi University, India. Her research has included projects on evaluating eigenvalues, optimization methods, and dynamic slip inversion for earthquakes, which has led to her role as a Junior Research Fellow at IIT Hyderabad. She has presented her research at various international conferences and has been published in respected academic journals.

"I am truly honored and grateful that my PhD thesis has been selected by the Spanish Society of Applied Mathematics (SEMA) as a candidate for the ECCOMAS Awards. This recognition means a lot to me and highlights the guidance and support I received during my research. I sincerely thank my supervisor, Dr. Michael Bartoň, as well as our institute, BCAM and UPV/EHU Bilbao. I look forward to presenting my work at the upcoming CEDYA-CMA conference" says Rajain.

As a nominee, Kanika will receive a diploma of accreditation and has been invited to present her groundbreaking results during the award ceremony at the upcoming Congress on Differential Equations and Applications / Congress on Applied Mathematics (CEDYA-CMA).

The event will be held from July 6 to 10 in Valencia, where the Spanish applied mathematics community will gather to celebrate the year's most significant contributions to the field.

Congratulations to Kanika Rajain on this outstanding achievement!