WCCM-ECCOMAS 2026 — Munich, Germany

Posted on Jul 24, 2026

Wrapping up WCCM-ECCOMAS 2026 in Munich, Germany

I was so happy to take part in the World Congress in Computational Mechanics & ECCOMAS Congress (WCCM-ECCOMAS) 2026 in Munich, Germany. A few highlights below.

Contributed Talk

I had the chance to present our latest work, “Data-Driven Classification of Structural Nonlinearities Using Interpretable Deep Learning on Time Series”, co-authored with Dr. Gianmarco Mengaldo. It was great to talk through some of the challenges we faced — building such a large dataset, working with neural networks, and tackling explainability — and to brainstorm ideas with fellow attendees.

You can read more about the research in the Benchmarking Structural Nonlinearities with Interpretable Deep Learning project.

Bayan presenting — talk title slide
Bayan presenting at the podium

Old Friends, New Friends

I was so happy to reconnect with Kati Nispel and catch her talk — we first met at WCCM 2024, so this was our two-year reunion! She also introduced me to her colleague Tanja Lerchl, and we got to swap notes on each other’s work (we joked that our selfie could double as a hair-shampoo commercial).

Bayan and Kati Nispel at the WCCM-ECCOMAS 2026 backdrop
Catching a talk on numerical modeling of the lumbar spine
Selfie with fellow researchers over coffee

IACM Female Research Chapter

It was lovely to attend the panel discussion and hear senior researchers speak candidly about the challenges they’ve faced throughout their careers.

IACM Female Research Chapter panel discussion — 'Find mentors, and choose them on purpose'

A Memorable Conversation

I also got to chat with Professor George Karniadakis — what a lovely conversation — and even grabbed a MathEXLab team photo with him.

MathEXLab team photo with Professor George Karniadakis
MathEXLab team at the congress

A Bit of Art

Finally, I made time to see some art, including a bold piece by Dana Schutz (Mid-Day, 2019), and a beautiful painting — The Last Judgment by Peter Paul Rubens (a subject Michelangelo also famously painted).

Bayan beside Dana Schutz's Mid-Day (2019)
The Last Judgment by Peter Paul Rubens

#WCCM2026 #ECCOMAS #ComputationalMechanics #InterpretableAI #DeepLearning #StructuralDynamics #WomenInSTEM