Danny Dreelan is a Research Associate within the microstructural modelling research group at University of Manchester. His PhD research was predominantly focused on meso to macro scale modelling of grain structure evolution, via epitaxial growth over multiple layers of the powder bed fusion additive manufacturing process, within the I-Form advanced manufacturing research centre in Ireland, based at University College Dublin where he also completed his undergraduate and masters education in Mechanical Engineering.

So far his models track the competitive growth and advancement of grain envelopes via a fast and efficient cellular automata based approach, which can use simulation data from external thermal models to predict grain structure or computation of the thermal field internally in the model. His research going forward will be focused on the investigation of strategies to induce the columnar to equiaxed transition during wire-fed additive manufacturing processes with the aid of computational modelling.

In his personal life, he likes to stay physically active and is an avid weightlifter, and enjoys hiking, mountaineering and adventure.