SuNRISE brings together expertise in thin-film synthesis, residual-stress mechanics, nano/micro-architected metamaterials, modelling, and data-driven optimisation. The team operates across fabrication, characterization, and predictive design to deliver reliable nano-architected systems.
The SuNRISE Research Group
The SuNRISE Research Group integrates advanced manufacturing (Two-Photon Lithography), conformal nanocoatings (PE-)ALD/PVD, and multiscale mechanics to make residual stress and interfaces controllable design parameters. We combine high-resolution characterization (including FIB-based methods), fracture and reliability testing, and modelling/ML to link processing routes to measurable performance, with validated workflows that prioritise reproducibility over one-off “best results”.
Prof. Marco Sebastiani
Principal Investigator · Roma Tre University
Marco Sebastiani leads SuNRISE and coordinates the project strategy across fabrication, coatings, characterization, and modelling. His research focuses on thin films and surface engineering, residual stress assessment, and small-scale mechanical testing, with particular emphasis on fracture, crack propagation, and reliability in coated and micro-structured systems. Within SuNRISE, he drives the stress-aware design approach, ensures methodological rigor, and aligns the experimental programme with predictive modelling and data-driven optimisation.
Core Team and Researchers
Key contributors across nanofabrication, coatings, nanomechanics, modelling, and data-driven analysis.
Dr. Edoardo Rossi
Assistant Professor · Nanomechanics & Data-driven Characterisation
Edoardo focuses on high-throughput nanoindentation and fracture micromechanics, linking mechanical maps to microstructure and residual stress. In SuNRISE, he contributes to reliability-oriented testing protocols and ML-assisted analysis pipelines to turn complex datasets into design rules.
Dr. Meral Tuna
Assistant Professor · Modelling & Topology Optimisation
Meral Tuna works on structural modelling and fracture mechanics of classical and non-classical architectures. In SuNRISE, she leads the modelling activities that link residual stress distributions, topology, and crack initiation to the mechanical response of nano-architected systems, providing predictive tools that guide architecture design and reliability optimisation.
Dr. Houyem Hafdi
Assistant Professor · Thin Films & Surface Engineering
Houyem Hafdi is a materials chemist specialising in thin-film deposition, surface engineering, and sustainability-oriented materials design. In SuNRISE, she contributes to the development and optimisation of conformal coatings and multilayer architectures, supporting interface control and residual-stress engineering in complex 3D nano-architected structures.
Ms. Wenjuan Cheng
Postdoctoral Researcher · Fabrication–Property Relationships
Wenjuan Cheng conducts experimental investigations of processing–structure–property relationships in nano-architected materials. In SuNRISE, she supports the validation of fabrication and coating strategies, contributing to reproducible workflows that connect processing routes to mechanical reliability and failure behaviour.
Dr. Sadaf Batool
Postdoctoral researcher · Metamaterials for bio-compatibility
Sadaf Batool is a biomaterial engineer specialized in the characterization and testing of functional materials for cell growth. In SuNRISE, she will develop novel metamaterials for efficient bone regeneration, leveraging expertise in 3D printing, nanoscale characterization, and bioactivity assessments.
Ms. Loanna Marcella Agüero Cascante
PhD Student · Thin Films & Surface Engineering
Loanna Marcella Agüero Cascante focuses on high-resolution characterisation and functional assessment of micro- and nano-structured systems. Within SuNRISE, she contributes to advanced surface and interface analysis, supporting the correlation between architecture, local properties, and energy-efficient functional performance in coated 3D structures.