At the Laboratory for Advanced Materials & Bioinspiration we combine theoretical mechanics, numerical modeling, optimization, experimental mechanics, 3D printing and also a bit of biology (for inspiration) to create new materials. Our favorite challenge is to combine material properties which are traditionally difficult or impossible to achieve simultaneously in individual materials: For example we make stiff and hard materials that overcome brittleness and resist impacts, and protective materials that have a hard surface but which are also flexible. These new materials "disrupt" traditional limitations in engineering materials, which makes them highly relevant for a variety of applications. Our research combines two powerful concepts: (1) Inspiration from natural materials (bone, seashells, teeth, skin, fish scales) and (2) Material architecture where hard materials, soft materials, weak interfaces and geometries are used in synergy to create and control desired mechanisms of deformation and fracture.