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Alberto Diez Ibarbia

Associate Professor in Mechanical Engineering

Universidad de Cantabria

Santander, Spain

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I am specialized in tribology and power efficiency of mechanical transmissions. My work includes NVH, transmission design and machine monitoring, combining modelling, experiments and industrial applications.

My organisation

The University of Cantabria (UC) is a young and modern public institution, with a total budget of 122.11 million euros (2022 figures). UC teaches 30 Bachelor degrees and 5 Double Degrees and counts with 11,892 official students, of whom 8520 are Bachelor students and 1154 are Master students; while there are 674 PhD students. It has around 750 full-time teachers. Its main objective is to contribute to social progress through its commitment on teaching and scientific excellence. Although the UC is the 44th by size of the Spanish University System, it is considered one of the 1,000 top-level Universities as for the Academic Ranking of the Universities of the World (ARWU). UC is also positioned among the 500 most prestigious Universities of the 2021 Global Ranking of Academic Subjects – Shanghai Ranking on several disciplines (Atmospheric Sciences, Physics, Oceanography, Civil Engineering, Chemical Engineering, Economics, Biological Sciences and Human Biological Sciences). UC is on the 3rd place in scientific productivity, as for regards to the Spanish universities, according to the ninth edition of the U-Ranking report (2021) published by the BBVA Foundation.
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About me

I am an Associate Professor in Mechanical Engineering at the University of Cantabria (Spain), with research focused on efficiency, tribology, and energy losses in mechanical transmission systems, particularly geared drives and powertrains. My expertise covers friction, lubrication, surface interactions, and their impact on efficiency, durability, and sustainability of mechanical systems.

Beyond my core specialization, I work extensively across mechanical system dynamics, NVH (noise, vibration and hashness), transmission design, machine monitoring, and data-driven modeling, collaborating closely with colleagues in complementary areas. I have strong experience integrating physics-based modeling, experimental testing, and numerical simulation, as well as combining classical mechanical engineering approaches with modern techniques such as machine learning and data analysis for diagnosis, performance prediction, and digitalization of mechanical systems.

My research activities are strongly oriented towards industrial relevance, including collaboration with companies in automotive, power transmission, and machinery sectors, while maintaining a solid academic output in peer-reviewed journals and competitive projects. I am particularly interested in interdisciplinary and international collaborations, especially those addressing energy efficiency, sustainable mechanical design, digital twins, and intelligent monitoring of mechanical systems.

Within the Marie Skłodowska-Curie framework, I am keen to engage in joint supervision, secondments, and collaborative projects that bridge fundamental tribology and system-level engineering, fostering innovation, researcher mobility, and high-impact applied research.

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Skills

  • Tribology of mechanical systems
  • Energy efficiency in mechanical transmissions
  • Friction, lubrication and power losses
  • Industry-oriented applied research
  • Numerical modelling and simulation
  • Teamwork in Multidisciplinary Environments
  • Collaboration with international partners
  • Collaboration with industrial partners
  • Mentoring early-stage researchers
  • Scientific project coordination

Interests

  • Tribology
  • energy efficiency
  • Mechanical Transmissions
  • friction
  • Lubrication
  • NVH
  • machine monitoring

Marketplace (1)

  • Expertise

    Tribology, Efficiency and Performance of Mechanical Transmissions

    I am specialized in tribology and power efficiency of mechanical transmissions. My work includes NVH, transmission design and machine monitoring, combining modelling, experiments and industrial applications.

    • ENG - Information Science and Engineering
    • DOCTORAL NETWORKS: Hosting Doctoral Candidates / Secondments / Trainings
    • POSTDOCTORAL FELLOWSHIPS: Hosting Postdoctoral Candidates / Secondments / Placements
    Author

    Alberto Diez Ibarbia

    Associate Professor in Mechanical Engineering at Universidad de Cantabria

    Santander, Spain