Professor Angela Mihai

Professor of Applied Mathematics, Director of Research

: Abacws, Room 5.14, Senghennydd Road, Cathays, Cardiff, CF24 4AG

I am a member of the Applied and Computational Mathematics Research Group and Director of Research and Innovation at the School of Mathematics, Cardiff University. I am also a Fellow of the Institute of Mathematics and its Applications (FIMA) and Vice President of the UK and Republic of Ireland Section of the Society for Industrial and Applied Mathematics (SIAM-UKIE).

2024

Mahardika, N., Raistrick, T., Mihai, L. A. and Wang, H. 2024. All-atom molecular dynamics simulations of nematic liquid crystal elastomers. International Journal of Solids and Structures 291, article number: 112717. (10.1016/j.ijsolstr.2024.112717)

2023

Mihai, L. A. 2023. A theoretical liquid crystal elastomer model that mimics the elasticity of cat skin. Mechanics of soft materials 5, article number: 4. (10.1007/s42558-023-00051-y)
Mihai, L. A. 2023. A mathematical mechanics mixed tape: Editor's foreword to Special Issue in honor of Alain Goriely. Mathematics and Mechanics of Solids (10.1177/10812865231210188)
Mihai, L. A., Raistrick, T., Gleeson, H. F., Mistry, D. and Goriely, A. 2023. A predictive theoretical model for stretch-induced instabilities in liquid crystal elastomers. Liquid Crystals 50(7-10), pp. 1426-1438. (10.1080/02678292.2022.2161655)
Mihai, L. A., Gablier, A., Terentjev, E. and Goriely, A. 2023. Anti-Hertz bulging of actuated liquid crystal elastomers. Extreme Mechanics Letters 64, article number: 102066. (10.1016/j.eml.2023.102066)
Mihai, L. A. and Goriely, A. 2023. Controllable deformations of unconstrained ideal nematic elastomers. Journal of Elasticity (10.1007/s10659-023-10038-5)
Mihai, L. A. 2023. A theoretical model for power generation via liquid crystal elastomers. Mathematics and Mechanics of Solids (10.1177/10812865231193735)
Goriely, A., Moulton, D. E. and Mihai, L. A. 2023. A rod theory for liquid crystalline elastomers. Journal of Elasticity 153, pp. 509-532. (10.1007/s10659-021-09875-z)

2022

Mihai, L. A., Mistry, D., Raistrick, T., Gleeson, H. F. and Goriely, A. 2022. A mathematical model for the auxetic response of liquid crystal elastomers. Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society A: Mathematical, Physical and Engineering Sciences 380, article number: 20210326. (10.1098/rsta.2021.0326)
Buze, M., Woolley, T. E. and Mihai, L. A. 2022. A stochastic framework for atomistic fracture. SIAM Journal on Applied Mathematics 82(2), pp. 526-548. (10.1137/21M1416436)
Mihai, L. A. 2022. Stochastic elasticity: a nondeterministic approach to the nonlinear field theory. Interdisciplinary Applied Mathematics. Switzerland: Springer. (10.1007/978-3-031-06692-4)

2021

Mihai, L. A. and Goriely, A. 2021. Instabilities in liquid crystal elastomers. MRS Bulletin 46, pp. 784-794. (10.1557/s43577-021-00115-2)
Mihai, L. A., Wang, H., Guilleminot, J. and Goriely, A. 2021. Nematic liquid crystalline elastomers are aeolotropic materials. Proceedings of the Royal Society A: Mathematical, Physical and Engineering Sciences 477(2253), article number: 20210259. (10.1098/rspa.2021.0259)
Goriely, A. and Mihai, L. A. 2021. Liquid crystal elastomers wrinkling. Nonlinearity 34(8), article number: 5599. (10.1088/1361-6544/ac09c1)
Mihai, L. A. and Alamoudi, M. 2021. Likely oscillatory motions of stochastic hyperelastic spherical shells and tubes. International Journal of Non-Linear Mechanics 130, article number: 103671. (10.1016/j.ijnonlinmec.2021.103671)

2020

Mihai, L. A. and Goriely, A. 2020. A plate theory for nematic liquid crystalline solids. Journal of the Mechanics and Physics of Solids 144, article number: 104101. (10.1016/j.jmps.2020.104101)
Mihai, L. A. and Goriely, A. 2020. A pseudo-anelastic model for stress softening in liquid crystal elastomers. Proceedings of the Royal Society A: Mathematical, Physical and Engineering Sciences 476(2243), article number: 20200558. (10.1098/rspa.2020.0558)
Mihai, L. A. and Goriely, A. 2020. Likely striping in stochastic nematic elastomers. Mathematics and Mechanics of Solids 25(10), pp. 1851-1872. (10.1177/1081286520914958)
Mihai, L. A., Woolley, T. and Goriely, A. 2020. Likely cavitation and radial motion of stochastic elastic spheres. Nonlinearity 33(5), article number: 1987. (10.1088/1361-6544/ab7104)
Schweickert, E., Mihai, L. A., Martin, R. J. and Neff, P. 2020. A note on non-homogeneous deformations with homogeneous Cauchy stress for a strictly rank-one convex energy in isotropic hyperelasticity. International Journal of Non-Linear Mechanics 119, article number: 103282. (10.1016/j.ijnonlinmec.2019.103282)

2019

Fitt, D., Wyatt, H., Woolley, T. and Mihai, L. A. 2019. Uncertainty quantification of elastic material responses: testing, stochastic calibration and Bayesian model selection. Mechanics of Soft Materials 1, article number: 13. (10.1007/s42558-019-0013-1)
Mihai, L. A. 2019. Power in numbers: The rebel women of mathematics by Talithia Williams [Book Review]. London Mathematical Society Newsletter 485, pp. 49-50.
Mihai, L. A., Fitt, D., Woolley, T. and Goriely, A. 2019. Likely cavitation in stochastic elasticity. Journal of Elasticity 137(1), pp. 27-42. (10.1007/s10659-018-9706-1)
Mihai, L. A., Woolley, T. and Goriely, A. 2019. Likely chirality of stochastic anisotropic hyperelastic tubes. International Journal of Non-Linear Mechanics 114, pp. 9-20. (10.1016/j.ijnonlinmec.2019.04.004)
Mihai, L. A., Fitt, D., Woolley, T. E. and Goriely, A. 2019. Likely equilibria of stochastic hyperelastic spherical shells and tubes. Mathematics and Mechanics of Solids 24(7), pp. 2066-2082. (10.1177/1081286518811881)
Mihai, L. A., Woolley, T. E. and Goriely, A. 2019. Likely equilibria of the stochastic Rivlin cube. Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society A: Mathematical, Physical and Engineering Sciences 377(2144), article number: 20180068. (10.1098/rsta.2018.0068)
Mihai, L., Fitt, D., Woolley, T. and Goriely, A. 2019. Likely oscillatory motions of stochastic hyperelastic solids. Transactions of Mathematics and Its Applications 3(1), article number: tnz003. (10.1093/imatrm/tnz003)
Wyatt, H., Safar, A., Clarke, A., Evans, S. and Mihai, L. A. 2019. Nonlinear scaling effects in the stiffness of soft cellular structures. Royal Society Open Science 6(1), article number: 181361.

2018

Schweickert, E., Mihai, L. A. and Neff, P. 2018. Homogeneous Cauchy stress induced by non-homogeneous deformations. Presented at: 89th Annual Meeting of the International Association of Applied Mathematics and Mechanics (GAMM), Munich, Germany, 19-23 March 2018. Proceedings in Applied Mathematics and Mechanics (PAMM) Vol. 1. Wiley pp. 1-2., (10.1002/pamm.201800185)
Safar, A. and Mihai, L. A. 2018. The nonlinear elasticity of hyperelastic models for stretch-dominated cellular structures. International Journal of Non-Linear Mechanics 106, pp. 144-154. (10.1016/j.ijnonlinmec.2018.08.006)
Mihai, L. A., Safar, A. and Wyatt, H. L. 2018. Debonding of cellular structures with fibre-reinforced cell walls under shear deformation. Journal of Engineering Mathematics 109(1), pp. 3-19. (10.1007/s10665-016-9894-2)
Mihai, L. A. and Neff, P. 2018. Hyperelastic bodies under homogeneous Cauchy stress induced by three-dimensional non-homogeneous deformations. Mathematics and Mechanics of Solids 23(4), pp. 606-616. (10.1177/1081286516682556)
Mihai, L. A., Woolley, T. and Goriely, A. 2018. Stochastic isotropic hyperelastic materials: constitutive calibration and model selection. Proceedings of the Royal Society A 474(2211), article number: 201708. (10.1098/rspa.2017.0858)

2017

Mihai, L. A. and Goriely, A. 2017. How to characterize a nonlinear elastic material? A review on nonlinear constitutive parameters in isotropic finite elasticity. Proceedings of the Royal Society A: Mathematical, Physical and Engineering Sciences 473(2207), article number: 607. (10.1098/rspa.2017.0607)
Mihai, L. A., Budday, S., Holzapfel, G., Kuhl, E. and Goriely, A. 2017. A family of hyperelastic models for human brain tissue. Journal of the Mechanics and Physics of Solids 106, pp. 60-79. (10.1016/j.jmps.2017.05.015)
Mihai, L. A., Wyatt, H. and Goriely, A. 2017. A microstructure-based hyperelastic model for open-cell solids. SIAM Journal on Applied Mathematics 77(4), pp. 1397-1416. (10.1137/16M1098899)
Safar, A., Wyatt, H. L. and Mihai, L. A. 2017. Debonding of cellular structures under shear deformation. Presented at: 25th Conference of the UK Association for Computational Mechanics, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, UK, 11-13 April 2017.
Mihai, L. A., Wyatt, H. L. and Goriely, A. 2017. Microstructure-based hyperelastic models for closed-cell solids. Proceedings of the Royal Society A: Mathematical, Physical and Engineering Sciences 473(2200), article number: 20170036. (10.1098/rspa.2017.0036)
Lee, C., Mihai, L. A., Hale, J. S., Kerfriden, P. and Bordas, S. P. A. 2017. Strain smoothing for compressible and nearly-incompressible finite elasticity. Computers & Structures 182, pp. 540-555. (10.1016/j.compstruc.2016.05.004)
Neff, P. and Mihai, L. A. 2017. Injectivity of the Cauchy-stress tensor along rank-one connected lines under strict rank-one convexity condition. Journal of Elasticity 127(2), pp. 309-315. (10.1007/s10659-016-9609-y)
Mihai, L. A. and Neff, P. 2017. Hyperelastic bodies under homogeneous Cauchy stress induced by non-homogeneous finite deformations. International Journal of Non-Linear Mechanics 89, pp. 93-100. (10.1016/j.ijnonlinmec.2016.12.003)
Mihai, L. A. 2017. The ascent of Mary Somerville in 19th century society by Elisabetta Strickland [Book Review]. London Mathematical Society Newsletter March(467), pp. 29-30.
Mihai, L. A., Alayyash, K. and Wyatt, H. L. 2017. The optimal density of cellular solids in axial tension. Computer Methods in Biomechanics and Biomedical Engineering 20(7), pp. 701-713. (10.1080/10255842.2017.1292352)
Wyatt, H. L., Clarke, A., Evans, S. L. and Mihai, L. A. 2017. Optical strain measurement techniques for soft cellular structures. Presented at: BSSM 12th International Conference on Advances in Experimental Mechanics, Sheffield, UK, 29 - 31 August 2017.

2016

Wyatt, H. L., Alayyash, K., Evans, S. L. and Mihai, L. A. 2016. Computer modelling of cellular structures under uniaxial loading. Presented at: 24th Conference of the UK Association on Computational Mechanics, Cardiff University, Cardiff, UK, 31 March - 1 April 2016. Cardiff: pp. 184-187.
Mihai, L. A. and Goriely, A. 2016. Guaranteed upper and lower bounds on the uniform load of contact problems in elasticity. Siam Journal on Applied Mathematics 76(4), pp. 1558-1576. (10.1137/15M1046563)
Wyatt, H. L., Alayyash, K. and Mihai, L. A. 2016. Optimising material density of cellular bodies in high elastic deformations. Presented at: 24th International Congress of Theoretical and Applied Mechanics, Montreal, Canada, 21-25 August 2016.

2015

Mihai, L. A., Chin, L., Janmey, P. A. and Goriely, A. 2015. A comparison of hyperelastic constitutive models applicable to brain and fat tissues. Journal of the Royal Society Interface 12(110), pp. -., article number: 20150486. (10.1098/rsif.2015.0486)
Mihai, L. A., Alayyash, K. and Goriely, A. 2015. Paws, pads, and plants: The enhanced elasticity of cell-filled load-bearing structures. Proceedings of the Royal Society of London Series A 471(2178), article number: 20150107. (10.1098/rspa.2015.0107)
Mihai, L. A. and Goriely, A. 2015. Finite deformation effects in cellular structures with hyperelastic cell walls. International Journal of Solids and Structures 53, pp. 107-128. (10.1016/j.ijsolstr.2014.10.015)

2014

Mihai, L. A. and Goriely, A. 2014. Nonlinear Poisson effects in soft honeycombs. Proceedings of the Royal Society A: Mathematical, Physical and Engineering Sciences 470(2169), article number: 20140363. (10.1098/rspa.2014.0363)

2013

Mihai, L. A. 2013. Cardiff students hold first SIAM Chapter Day. SIAM News 2013(1 Apr)
Mihai, L. A. and Goriely, A. 2013. Numerical simulation of shear and the Poynting effects by the finite element method: An application of the generalised empirical inequalities in non-linear elasticity. International Journal of Non-Linear Mechanics 49, pp. 1-14. (10.1016/j.ijnonlinmec.2012.09.001)

2011

Mihai, L. A. and Goriely, A. 2011. Positive or negative Poynting effect? The role of adscititious inequalities in hyperelastic materials. Proceedings of the Royal Society A: Mathematical, Physical and Engineering Sciences 467(2136), pp. 3633-3646. (10.1098/rspa.2011.0281)

2010

Mihai, L. A. 2010. A fixed-point approach to the limit load analysis of multibody structures with Coulomb friction. Computers & Structures 88(13-14), pp. 859-869. (10.1016/j.compstruc.2010.04.005)

2009

Mihai, L. A. and Ainsworth, M. 2009. A finite element procedure for rigorous numerical enclosures on the limit load in the analysis of multibody structures. Computer Methods in Applied Mechanics and Engineering 199(1-4), pp. 48-60. (10.1016/j.cma.2009.09.018)
Mihai, L. A. and Ainsworth, M. 2009. An adaptive multi-scale computational modelling of Clare College Bridge. Computer Methods in Applied Mechanics and Engineering 198(21-26), pp. 1839-1847. (10.1016/j.cma.2008.12.030)
Ainsworth, M. and Mihai, L. A. 2009. An adaptive multi-scale approach to the modelling of masonry structures. International Journal for Numerical Methods in Engineering 78(10), pp. 1135-1163. (10.1002/nme.2520)
Mihai, L. A. and Craig, A. W. 2009. Alternate slice-based substructuring in three dimensions. Ima Journal of Numerical Analysis 29(3), pp. 508-538. (10.1093/imanum/drn023)

2007

Ainsworth, M. and Mihai, L. A. 2007. Modeling and numerical analysis of masonry structures. Numerical Methods for Partial Differential Equations 23(4), pp. 798-816. (10.1002/num.20253)

2006

Ainsworth, M. and Mihai, L. A. 2006. A comparison of solvers for linear complementarity problems arising from large-scale masonry structures. Applications of Mathematics 51(2), pp. 93-128. (10.1007/s10492-006-0008-8)
Mihai, L. A. and Craig, A. W. 2006. Alternate strip-based substructuring algorithms for elliptic PDEs in two dimensions. Ima Journal of Numerical Analysis 26(2), pp. 354-380. (10.1093/imanum/dri025)

2005

Mihai, L. A. and Craig, A. W. 2005. A two-grid alternate strip-based domain decomposition strategy in two-dimensions. In: Kornhuber, R. et al. eds. Domain Decomposition Methods in Science and Engineering. Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg, pp. 661-668., (10.1007/3-540-26825-1_71)

My research interests are in the mathematical understanding of the mechanical properties of soft materials, including multiscale modelling, limit states analysis, optimisation, and uncertainty quantification. An important area of my work is the mathematical modelling of liquid crystal elastomers (LCEs). These are advanced multifunctional materials that combine elasticity with orientational order. Specifically, mechanical strains give rise to changes in liquid crystalline order and changes in the orientational order generate mechanical stresses and strains. Because of their large reversible deformations and complex material responses in the presence of natural stimuli like heat or light, and electric or magnetic fields, LCEs are suitable for a wide range of applications in science, manufacturing, and medical research. For further details, please see my profiles on Google Scholar, MathSciNet, ORCID, ResearchGate and Scholia.

Funded projects

Retreat for women in applied mathematics, International Centre for Mathematical Sciences (ICMS), Edinburgh (2025), Supported by EPSRC Grant EP/Z000467/1
Research in Groups, International Centre for Mathematical Sciences (ICMS), Edinburgh (2024), Supported by EPSRC Grant EP/R015007/1
Retreat for women in applied mathematics, International Centre for Mathematical Sciences (ICMS), Edinburgh (2024), Supported by EPSRC Grant EP/R015007/1
Uncertainty quantification and stochastic modelling of materials, Issac Newton Institute for Mathematical Sciences, Cambridge (2023), Supported by EPSRC Grant EP/R014604/1
Retreat for women in applied mathematics, International Centre for Mathematical Sciences (ICMS), Edinburgh (2023), Supported by EPSRC Grant EP/R015007/1
Full PhD studentship, College of Physical Sciences and Engineering, Cardiff University (2022 - 2026)
Limit analysis of debonding states in multi-body systems of stochastic hyperelastic material, EPSRC Grant EP/S028870/1 (2019 - 2022)
Full PhD studentship, College of Physical Sciences and Engineering, Cardiff University (2015 - 2019)
Limit analysis of collapse states in cellular solids, EPSRC Grant EP/M011992/1 (2015 - 2017)

Mottoes to papers

"The task of the theorist is to bring order into the chaos of the phenomena of nature, to invent a language by which a class of these phenomena can be described efficiently and simply." - C. Truesdell (1965) (doi: 10.1098/rspa.2017.0607)
"This task is made more difficult than it otherwise would be by the fact that some of the test-pieces used have to be moulded individually, and it is difficult to make two rubber specimens having identical properties even if nominally identical procedures are followed in preparing them." - R. S. Rivlin & D. W. Saunders (1951) (doi: 10.1007/s42558-019-0013-1)
"Instead of stating the positions and velocities of all the molecules, we allow the possibility that these may vary for some reason - be it because we lack precise information, be it because we wish only some average in time or in space, be it because we are content to represent the result of averaging over many repetitions [...] We can then assign a probability to each quantity and calculate the values expected according to that probability." - C. Truesdell (1984) (doi: 10.1177/1081286520914958)
"It is a problem of mechanics, highly complicated and irrelevant to probability theory except insofar as it forces us to think a little more carefully about how probability theory must be formulated if it is to be applicable to real situations.” - E. T. Jaynes (1996) (doi: 10.1088/1361-6544/ab7104)
"Denominetur motus talis, qualis omni momento temporis t praebet configurationem ca- pacem aequilibrii corporis iisdem viribus massalibus sollicitati, ‘motus quasi aequilibratus’. Generatim motus quasi aequilibratus non congruet legibus dynamicis et proinde motus verus corporis fieri non potest, manentibus iisdem viribus masalibus.” - C. Truesdell (1962) (doi: 10.1093/imatrm/tnz003)
“Of particular relevance here is the fact that technology of people must be different from that of nature simply because the two span different size scales [...] Everyday terms such as ‘assembly’, ‘polymer’, ‘blueprint’, ‘safety factor’, ‘design’, and ‘intended application’ were meant for our production systems, and we run considerable risk of self-deception when we use them for natural systems.” - S. Vogel (1998) (doi: 10.1007/s42558-023-00051-y)

Cover image

A molecular dynamics simulation of liquid crystal elastomers, Proceedings of the Royal Society A 477, issue 2253, September 2021

Video recordings

Liquid crystal elastomers: theory and applications, International Centre for Mathematical Sciences (January 2024)
Uncertainty quantification and stochastic modelling of materials: Organiser interview, Isaac Newton Institute (August 2023)
Instabilities in liquid crystal elastomers, Isaac Newton Institute (July 2023)
Mathematics and mechanics of liquid crystal elastomers, Journal of Engineering Mathematics Webinar (October 2022)
Mathematics and mechanics of liquid crystal elastomers, Cardiff Applied and Computational Mathematics Seminar (November 2021)
The mathematics and continuum mechanics of liquid crystal elastomers, LMS Prospects in Mathematics (September 2021)
Women in STEM, Cardiff (March 2017)

I am a fellow of the UK Higher Education Academy. My teaching at Cardiff University is in Applied Mathematics.

Courses taught

Introduction to Mathematical Modelling of Liquid Crystal Elastomers
- PhD-level Mathematics (2023 - 2024)
Numerical Analysis
- Year 2 Mathematics (2013 - Present)
Finite Elasticity
- Year 3 Mathematics (2020 - 2022)
- Year 4 MMath (2015 - 2020)
Classical Mechanics
- Year 1 Mathematics (2012 - 2017)

I also offer a range of projects to final year undergraduate students and Nuffield research placements.

Career overview

I started my mathematical journey as an undergraduate student at the University of Bucharest, Romania, and later continued my studies with a Part III of the Mathematical Tripos at the University of Cambridge, UK. In 2005, I earned my PhD for research in numerical analysis from the University of Durham, UK. I then expanded my expertise as a postdoctoral researcher at the Universities of Strathclyde, Cambridge, and Oxford, concentrating on mathematics and mechanics of solids. I joined Cardiff as a University Lecturer in 2011 and steadily progressed to my current academic role.

Honours and awards

Outstanding Contribution Award, Cardiff University (2015)
UK Association for Computational Mechanics Postdoctoral Researcher Award (2006)
SIAM-UKIE Student Presentation Prize (2002)
Shell Centenary Scholarship, Shell Group and Cambridge University Trust (1999 - 2000)

Professional memberships

Society for Industrial and Applied Mathematics (SIAM)
- Vice President of SIAM-UKIE Section (2023 - 2025)
- Secretary & Treasurer of SIAM-UKIE Section (2014 - 2016)
  - Cambridge Hosts 20th Anniversary Meeting of the UKIE SIAM Section (2016)
  - SIAM-UKIE New Media to Help Increase Impact of Members' Activities in the Wider Community (2014)
- Faculty Adviser of SIAM-IMA Student Chapter at Cardiff University
  - Cardiff Students Hold First SIAM Chapter Day (2013)
Institute of Mathematics ands its Applications (IMA)
- Fellow (FIMA)
The International Society for the Interaction of Mechanics and Mathematics (ISIMM)
The British Liquid Crystal Society (BLCS)

Committees and reviewing

Associate Editor
- Journal of Elasticity: The Physical and Mathematical Science of Solids (Springer)
  - Special Issue on Liquid Crystal Elastomers and Their Theory (2026)
- Mathematics and Mechanics of Solids (SAGE)
  - Special Issue in Honor of Prof Alain Goriely FRS (2024)
- Transactions of Mathematics and Its Applications (OUP)
Member of Editorial Advisory Board
- International Journal of Non-Linear Mechanics (Elsevier)
Research Councils Services
- EPSRC Peer Review College
- UKRI Talent Peer Review College

Postdoctoral researchers

Dr Yang Liu, Research fellow, HORIZON-MSCA-2022 (2023-2025)
Dr Thomas Raistrick, Research associate, EP/S028870/1 (2022 )
Dr Maciej Buze, Research associate, EP/S028870/1 (2019 - 2022)
Dr Hayley Wyatt, Research associate, EP/M011992/1 (2015 - 2017)

Current supervision

Rabin Poudel

Research student

Past projects

Dr Manal Alamoudi, PhD studies (2018 - 2022)
Dr Danielle Fitt, PhD studies (2018 - 2021)
Dr Alexander Safar, PhD studies (2015 - 2019)
- UK Association for Computational Mechanics Mike Crisfield Prize (2017)
Dr Khulud Alayyash, PhD studies (2013 - 2017)

Research themes

Specialisms

Applied mathematics
Numerical analysis
Solid mechanics

Dr Angela Mihai elected Vice President of SIAM-UKIE

Professor Angela Mihai

Overview

Publication