dr. Rahul Kumar
Phone
+386 1 4771 460
Short biography
Dr. Rahul Kumar earned his Ph.D. in Materials Engineering from Tallinn University of Technology, Estonia, in Jan. 2023. Following his doctorate, he continued his work at the university until mid-2024 as a Researcher at the Laboratory of Tribology and Materials Testing. During this period, Dr. Kumar was actively involved in several EU-funded international projects and collaborated with esteemed research institutions, such as the Austrian Competence Centre for Tribology in Austria and the Łukasiewicz Research Network—The Institute for Sustainable Technologies in Poland. Dr. Kumar's research expertise encompasses the development and testing of polymers, metals, ceramics, and their functional composites for extreme tribological applications, as well as the tailoring of frictional and biological attributes in biomaterials using 3D-printed nature-inspired structures. His primary research focuses include high-temperature tribology, dry contact friction and wear, surface engineering for friction and wear control, green tribology, and the fabrication of multifunctional tribomaterials using powder metallurgy and additive manufacturing techniques. Currently, Dr. Kumar works as a postdoctoral scientist at the Laboratory for Tribology and Interface Nanotechnology (TINT) at the University of Ljubljana, Slovenia. His work is centered on developing sustainable tribological solutions for the wave energy sector, a project that significantly contributes to advancements in green energy technologies. This research is co-developed with the Polymer Tribology Group at Luleå University of Technology, Sweden, where Dr. Kumar is also a visiting researcher, and is co-funded by the prestigious Marie Skłodowska-Curie Action programme. Dr. Kumar has authored several scientific publications in SCI journals, including Wear, Tribology International, and Surface & Coatings Technology. He is also an active associate member of The Institution of Engineers (India).