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Faculty of Science travel grant supports PhD researcher at international auxetics conference
Ms鈥疓race Anne Muscat delivering her presentation during the conference.
Grace Anne Muscat, a PhD candidate at the University of Malta, participated in the 12th International Conference on Auxetics and Other Materials and Models with “Negative” Characteristics in Swarz臋dz, Poland, with the support of a travel grant awarded by the Faculty of Science, University of Malta.
Held from 31 August to 4 September 2026, the Conference brought together international experts working on auxetic materials and related systems to exchange research findings, discuss emerging developments and explore opportunities for collaboration.
A number of University of Malta accademics and researchers also participated in the conference, including Prof. Joseph N. Grima, Prof. Daphne Attard, Prof. Pierre-Sandre Farrugia and Prof. Ruben Gatt, together with students and research colleagues.
Ms Muscat delivered an oral presentation entitled Tuneable Auxetic Behaviour in JUC-530: Origins and the Role of Interstitial Molecules. Her research focuses on JUC-530, a highly porous material with an unusual mechanical response known as auxetic behaviour, whereby a material can expand sideways when stretched.
Using molecular modelling, the study explored how this behaviour arises from the structure of the material and how it changes when different molecules, including nitrogen, methane and benzene, occupy its pores. The findings show that the presence of these molecules can modify the auxetic response, demonstrating how the mechanical behaviour of such materials can be influenced by their chemical environment.
The Conference gave Ms Muscat the opportunity to present and discuss her research with specialists in the field, receive valuable feedback and engage with different approaches to the study of auxetic behaviour. Attendance at the wider scientific programme also enabled her to gain insight into current developments and methodologies, while fostering exchanges with researchers from other institutions.
Ms Muscat is pursuing her PhD with funding through the . The Faculty of Science travel grant enabled her to take part in this international scientific meeting and present her research to the wider auxetics research community.
