Dr. Ethar A. Abdel Salam

Associate Professor

Faculty Building

UB1

Office Number

303

Bio

Biography

I am an Associate Professor in the School of Engineering and Applied Sciences at Nile University. I earned my PhD in Applied Mathematics from Cairo University in 2020, where my research focused on the thermo-piezo elasticity of continuous media with microstructure within the framework of extended thermodynamics. My doctoral work was honored with several awards, including the Obada Prize for Distinguished Students and the Best Ph.D. Thesis Award in Applied Mathematics from the Egyptian Mathematical Society (2021).

Before my PhD, I completed a BSc in Special Mathematics from the Faculty of Science at Al-Azhar University and an MSc in Applied Mathematics from the Faculty of Science at Zagazig University.

My research interests lie primarily in continuum mechanics and thermoelasticity. I have published over 20 peer-reviewed articles in top-tier journals and regularly serve as a reviewer for leading journals in the field. I’ve had the privilege of presenting my work at various scientific conferences, such as the 8th International Scientific Conference on Environment, Development and Bioinformatics, the 8th International Conference on Mathematics and Information Sciences, and International Mathematics Day – Mathematics for Development.

In 2023 and 2024, I was invited as a visiting scholar to Prof. Khuri-Yakub’s lab in the Electrical Engineering Department at Stanford University, where I contributed to the development of transparent piezoelectric transducers for neuron stimulation. I also received the Best Research Award for Egyptian Young Researchers at the 4th International Conference for Mathematics and its Applications (2021) and was awarded the Chebyshev Grant from the International Congress of Mathematicians (ICM) in 2022.

At Nile University, I teach several core undergraduate courses and actively engage in mentoring student researchers. I’ve served as a jury member for the Egyptian Junior Researcher Competition and take pride in guiding the next generation of engineers and scientists as they develop innovative projects and share their work at conferences and in scientific journals.

Research summary: My research focuses on the development of mathematical models for piezoelectric materials for various applications including energy harvesting and sensing. Using tools from continuum mechanics and extended thermodynamics, I work on modeling the coupled behavior between mechanical, thermal, and electrical fields in piezoelectric media. Currently, I am a CO-PI on an STDF-funded project on piezoelectric energy harvesting for renewable energy applications. This project focuses on developing piezoelectric systems for harvesting mechanical vibrations from the environment. I am also engaged in an international research collaboration with Stanford University, in E.L. Ginzton Lab as a visiting scholar where I work on the theoretical modeling of transparent piezoelectric transducers for neuron stimulation. My work has been recognized by multiple awards including Chebyshev grant award, the best Ph.D. Thesis award, the best research award for Egyptian young researchers and the Obada-Prize.

Achievements

Dr. Ethar won Obada Prize 2020 for Distinguished Students.
She won the Best Ph.D. Thesis Award in "Applied Mathematics" from the Egyptian Mathematical Society for the year 2021.
She also won the Best Research Award for Egyptian Young Researchers at the Fourth International Conference for Mathematics and its Applications, 2021.

Recent Publications

Abstract: In the context of the three-phase hysteresis model (3PHL), a system of equations is established for a generalized thermoelastic medium under the influence of a magnetic field and an internal heat source. The problem is discussed using Eringen’s nonlocal elastic model. The exact expression of the physical quantity is obtained by normal mode analysis and illustrated graphically by

An efficient numerical approach based on weighted-average finite differences is used to solve the Newtonian plane Couette flow with wall slip, obeying a dynamic slip law that generalizes the Navier slip law with the inclusion of a relaxation term. Slip is exhibited only along the fixed lower plate, and the motion is triggered by the motion of the upper plate. Three different cases are considered

Plane, nonlinear Rayleigh wave propagation is investigated in a three-layer sandwich structure of a thermoelastic medium, within the frame of dual-phase-lag theory. The thermal conductivity is taken as a linear function of temperature. This induces nonlinearity in the evolution equations for the heat flux components. A particular solution is found in the form of Poincaré expansion in a small

The model of generalized thermoelasticity, with the dual-phase-lag theory (DPL), is applied to study the influence of gravity on a piezo-thermoelastic diffusive medium. Normal mode analysis is used to obtain the exact expressions for different physical quantities. The derived expressions are computed numerically and the results are presented in graphical form. Comparisons are made with the results

We investigate a one-dimensional restriction of a nonlinear model of thermo-electroelasticity in extended thermodynamics and in the quasi-electrostatic regime (see Ghaleb et al. in Int J Eng Sci 119:29–39, 2017. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijengsci.2017.06.010). An additional dependence of the thermal conductivity and the thermal relaxation time on temperature and heat flux is introduced. The aim of

A 2D first order linear system of partial differential equations of plane strain thermoelasticity within the frame of extended thermodynamics is presented and analyzed. The system is composed of the equations of classical thermoelasticity in which displacements are replaced with velocities, complemented with Cattaneo evolution equation for heat flux. For a particular choice of the characteristic

The model of generalized thermoelasticity, dual-phase-lag model (DPL), is applied to study the influence of gravity on a piezo-thermoelastic diffusive medium. Normal mode analysis is used to obtain the expressions for different physical quantities. The derived expressions are computed numerically and the results are presented in graphical form. Comparisons are made with the results predicted by

The current work is concerned with the study of wave propagation in a half-space of a piezo-thermoelastic material under a bias tangential magnetic field within dual-phase-lag (DPL). This is relevant to the design and performance of piezoelectric devices working under a bias magnetic field, for example, the DC magnetic field piezoelectric sensors widely used in various areas of technology. The

We investigate linear, thermoelastic wave propagation in a layered piezoelectric material composed of a slab bonded to a half-space substrate of a dissimilar material, within dual-phase-lag model and under thermomechanical loads. One of the aims of the present work is to formulate a set of boundary conditions that is compatible with the field equations. Normal mode technique is used to obtain a

Grants

Projects

Research Project

One-dimensional nonlinear model of generalized thermo-electro elasticity.

Abstract We investigate a one-dimensional nonlinear model of thermo-electroelasticity in extended thermodynamics and quasi-electrostatic regime, with thermal conductivity and relaxation time dependent on temperature and heat flux. The aim is to assess the effect of quadratic nonlinear couplings between mechanical, thermal, and electric fields, known to impact solution stability. Two wave

Research Project

Piezoelectric energy harvesting in renewable energy applications, mathematical foundation, and implementation.

Abstract In the present project, we develop a novel mathematical model for a hybrid piezo-BWT energy harvesting that will be coded, implemented, and tested through the project lifetime. This goal can be achieved in six phases that are described in the present section. Fund STDF