Dr Ivan Miguel De Cachinho Cordeiro is a Postdoctoral Fellow at UNSW Sydney working at the intersection of computational materials science, fire safety engineering, advanced functional materials and multiscale modelling. His research focuses on understanding the molecular mechanisms governing polymer pyrolysis, oxidation, flame retardancy, and interfacial behaviour under extreme thermal conditions. A central theme of his work is the use of reactive molecular dynamics (ReaxFF-MD) to bridge atomistic chemical reactions with experimentally observed thermal degradation, char formation, and fire performance. By combining molecular modelling with materials characterisation and fire testing, his research aims to move flame-retardant material design beyond empirical formulation toward mechanism-driven and predictive approaches.

His current research also explores Flash Joule Heating and other non-equilibrium processing strategies to convert carbonaceous and inorganic precursors into functional carbon- and carbide-based materials. By integrating ultrafast synthesis, molecular simulation, and fire-performance evaluation, he is developing new approaches to sustainable, lightweight, and fire-resilient materials for polymer composites and critical infrastructure.