Dr. Javier Sanfélix

Javier Sanfelix, PhD in engineering sciences in the field of environmental and economic impact assessment of batteries for electric vehicles. Currently Team Leader for advanced materials at the Industrial Transformation Unit at the European Commission – DG Research and Innovation. Before he has worked at the Joint Research Centre of the European Commission providing scientific support for polices in sustainable production and consumption, with a focus on circular economy strategies.

Dr. Sarah Fischer

Dr. Sarah Fischer is currently Head of the Research Department for Sustainable Sensor Systems at Fraunhofer IZFP in Germany. After earning a Ph.D. in Materials Science she joined Apple's polymer engineering team in California in 2018 to work on industrial applications of adhesives. After 1.5 years, she moved back to Germany to build her own research group at Fraunhofer IZFP and develop innovative experimental mechanics methods for complex materials at the interface of research and industry. Her research focuses on measurement technology and the multimodal investigation of circular material systems, particularly functionally integrated materials and acoustically active metamaterials.

Leonard Courapied
Simulation of the homopolymerisation of bismaleimide monomers by tailored reactive Molecular Dynamics

Even if they were initially developed for the electronic industry, bismaleimide resins are used for high performance composite applications, especially when high temperature is the main stress factor for the parts. Derived from the polyimide chemistry, bismaleimides resins are easier to process, more affordable and have limited volatile emissions during their polymerization. Despite these materials being used and studied for many decades to determine their performances, the various chemical reactions implicated in the formation of the polymeric network are not fully described. 

The reactions between bismaleimide monomers (crosslinking by homopolymerisation, linear cyclo-polymerisation) and with the Diallyl co-monomers (Alder-ene reaction with allyl comonomer1, Diels-Alder cyclisation1) can either be thermally and photoinitiated to form a thermoset polymer. Their respective contribution to the final polymer remains unstudied due to a lack of analysis methods at the solid state to discriminate the created carbon-carbon bonds formed in the cured resin.

Molecular modeling, and more specifically reactive Molecular Dynamics can be a useful tool to help identifying the fundamental structure/property relationships of such system. However, most of the reactive approaches in Molecular Dynamics struggles to describe correctly the reactions of interest in these systems, concerted reaction such as Diels Alder, especially when the reactive groups cannot be simply differentiated using SMARTS notation.

The work presented proposes an alternative approach to cover for the reactive description of a single component bismaleimide resin, made of 4,4’-bismaleimidodiphenylmethane (MDAB), through two types of possible reactions, exhibiting various topological outcomes for the polymeric network and estimating basic properties of extrema simulated systems.

Figure 1. MDAB molecule and its 3D representation.

Two MDAB amorphous systems were considered: a system of 24600 atoms (600 molecules) and a system of 49200 atoms (1200 molecules). The simulation of the reaction and the prediction of the network’s thermomechanical properties are performed using Schrödinger Suite program, using its OPLS4 Force Field.

The comparison of linear MDAB systems with and without cyclic structures shows that the presence of cyclic structures has a minor impact on the mechanical properties when compared to the more significant changes induced by crosslinking. Overall, the simulations highlight the strong impact of crosslinking on improving the mechanical integrity of MDAB polymers, increasing significantly the polymer moduli.

Table 1. The mechanical properties of three different MDAB polymer systems.

Prof. Irene de Diego Calderón
Collaborative AI Framework to Boost Our Metallurgical Expertise and Accelerate Product Development

ArcelorMittal is leading the steel industry in providing low-carbon solutions to our customers. To maintain our sustainable leadership position in the current volatile market conditions, we must respond quickly to customer requests. This means it is essential to constantly reinvent the content of the products we sell and the ways we produce them, in response to customer needs.

To achieve this goal, our roadmap includes various actions that serve as steppingstones to reaching the final target. One of the key components of this roadmap is ensuring that the organization continues to operate within new technological and digital realities.

ArcelorMittal's R&D capabilities involve a highly talented team located in different locations around the globe, working together on result-driven projects. In this regard, collaboration among different teams with complementary skills is the key to success. To enhance communication between metallurgical experts and AI specialists, a collaborative AI framework has been developed in-house. This tool combines the latest advanced Machine Learning and Mathematical Optimization technologies with existing physical models.

Applying this revolutionary approach to support the design of new steel alloys targeting specific properties significantly reduces the number of trials, directly impacting time and cost.

Prof. Alejandro Franco
Digital Twin-Based Optimization of Battery Manufacturing Processes

In this presentation I outline a digital model developed since 11+ years in my research group to optimize rechargeable battery electrode and cell manufacturing, addressing the complex interplay of process parameters that impact battery cell performance. Utilizing multiscale physics-based modelling (Coarse Grain Molecular Dynamics, Discrete Element Method, Lattice Boltzmann Method, Finite Element Method) and artificial intelligence/machine learning, our digital model (named ARTISTIC) simulates and predicts electrode properties across various manufacturing stages (mixing, casting, drying, calendaring, electrolyte filling, formation). This allows for efficient optimization, validated against experimental data from our battery pilot line, and applicable to diverse battery chemistries. In my talk I also showcase our Virtual Reality/Mixed Reality tools for education, and our incoming startup based on these research activities aimed at revolutionizing battery manufacturing.

Prof. Marcus Stricker
Materials Informatics: Appreciation of Data and Algorithms

The foundation of the scientific method is reliable data. Digitalization in all parts of our society provides more and more accessible data. Organizing and structuring this amount of data is a research field on its own. However, the availability of high-quality materials data need new approaches to use the contained knowledge to its full potential. Within Materials Science these new methods are developed and applied in the sub-field of Materials Informatics. I will provide an overview of the current state of Materials Informatics and discuss applications of how data and algorithms are used to improve the description, characterization, discovery, and optimization of materials – in particular the research to establish the manifold of materials which is spanned by all factors: from raw materials to manufacturing, usage, and recycling.

Leonard Courapied

Léonard Courapied is a materials engineer specializing in the study of composite materials, with a particular focus on the relationship between structure and properties of their constituent elements. After graduating from the ENSMAC (formerly known as ENSCBP) in Bordeaux, he gained experience at several notable aerospace companies, including Safran, Daher, and Lilium. He later joined Safran Composites, which serves as a central research and technology platform for the Safran Group, dedicated to the study of polymeric matrix composites, where he holds the position of Materials and Processes Expert. 

Dr. Irene de Diego Calderón

Irene graduated in Industrial Engineering from Universidad Carlos III de Madrid in 2009. Additionally, she has a PhD in Materials Science developed at the IMDEA Materials Institute, being her thesis awarded with the Young Academics Steel Award by the German Steel Producers Association (VDEh). With this award, results achieved in the field of metallurgy and material science of steel throughout Europe were rewarded, using the relevance for the steel industry and the scientific progress achieved as evaluation criteria.

In October 2015, Irene joined ArcelorMittal Global R&D as a Research Engineer in the R&D Maizières Products Laboratory. Her work was focused on the development of new products for the automotive market. The results obtained are now used as guidelines for the production and optimization of new products. As a result, Irene was awarded in 2019 with the Jean Rist Medal, awarded to young researchers under 35 years of age by the French Society of Metallurgy and Materials (SF2M).

Since March 2021, Irene is Scientist within ArcelorMittal Global R&D Spain. Her work focuses on the development of innovative digital solutions applied throughout the product development and manufacturing chain. In addition, she acts as an interface between R&D data scientists and product development teams located around the World.

Finally, Irene holds an MBA in Business Administration.

Prof. Alejandro Franco

Dr. Alejandro A. Franco is a Full Professor at the Université de Picardie Jules Verne in the city of Amiens, France, and an Honorary Member of the Institut Universitaire de France. He has more than 23 years of experience in the field of multiscale modelling of electrochemical energy devices. He leads the Theory Open Platform at the ALISTORE European Research Institute. Prof. Franco has been awarded an ERC consolidator grant for his pioneering ARTISTIC project, focusing on battery manufacturing digitalization through multiscale modelling and artificial intelligence. Additionally, he has received an ERC Proof of Concept grant for his innovative SMARTISTIC project, aimed at assisting battery manufacturers with mixed reality technology. He has/he is actively participated/participating in numerous European projects and bilateral collaborations with the battery and fuel cell industry. Prof. Franco serves as the Chairman of the Expert Group "Digitalization, Measurement Methods, and Quality" in the European LiPLANET battery pilot lines network. In 2019, he was honoured with the French Prize for Pedagogy Innovation for his utilization of Virtual Reality in teaching battery sciences. He has an extensive publication record, including over 168 publications, 12 invited book chapters, 3 edited books, and 23 patents. Prof. Franco is frequently invited to deliver plenary, keynote, and invited oral presentations in international conferences, totalling more than 148 invited lectures, as well as over 68 invited seminars in prestigious universities, institutes, and companies. He also coordinates the Erasmus+ i-MESC International Master Programme (Interdisciplinarity in Materials for Energy Storage and Conversion). He is the recipient of the 2025 Battery Division M. Stanley Whittingham Mid-Career Award Lecture of the Electrochemical Society. Moreover, he is the co-founder of a startup under creation that offers unique digital solutions, leveraging the pioneering research and expertise of his research group, to strongly support the battery manufacturing industry.

Prof. Marcus Stricker

Markus Stricker is Professor for Materials Informatics and Data Science at the Interdisciplinary Centre for Advanced Materials Simulation (ICAMS) at Ruhr-University Bochum. With his group, he develops and applies data-driven tools for the efficient navigation and exploration of materials space. With these tools, he contributes to a better – which often means faster – understanding, usage, selection, development, and discovery of materials. Their applications span from basic research in the field of metal plasticity, managing and making use of heterogeneous multimodal materials datasets, digitalization of materials science data to the prediction of synthesis routes in chemical reactions.

Markus Stricker has been a professor at ICAMS since 2020 and was previously a post-doctoral researcher at the École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne and the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology where he also earned his PhD.

Prof. Dr. Sergio Amancio-Filho

Prof. Dr. Sergio de Traglia AMANCIO Filho is full professor for Aerospace Materials and Manufacturing Techniques at Graz University of Technology - TU Graz (Austria) since 2018. In addition, Sergio Amancio is an Adjunct Professor in the Welding Engineering Program at Ohio State University (USA) since 2020. Prof. Amancio has been working on the correlation between processing parameters, microstructure and material properties of joining and additive manufacturing technologies for applications in lightweight structures. His research has focused on the fundamental science and engineering of hybrid structures (metals, polymers, composites and more recently wood). Before joining TU Graz, he was a Helmholtz-Young Investigator Group Leader at Helmholtz-Zentrum Geesthacht (Germany) and Assistant Professor (Juniorprofessor) for Joining Technology at Hamburg University of Technology - TU Hamburg (Germany). Sergio Amancio has been awarded 36 patents and has 14 patent applications pending. He has co-authored more than 360 technical publications and has co-edited 3 technical books. He is the recipient of national and international awards, among them the "Nordmetall Prize 2008" from the Northern German Association of Metal and Electric Industry (Nordmetall- Stiftung), the "Georg Sachs Prize 2013" and the "DGM Prize 2022" from the German Society for Materials Science (DGM), the “German High Tech Champions 2013 in Lightweight Design”, from the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF), as well as the "Granjon Prize 2009", the "Yoshiaki Arata Prize 2023" and the "Halil Kaya Gedik Prize 2024" from the International Institute of Welding (IIW). Prof. Amancio has served as a technical expert on numerous scientific and technical committees in Europe and the Americas. He is currently the Chairman of IIW Commission XVI - Polymer Joining and Adhesive Technology.

Prof. Dr. MÁrio Ferreira

Mário GS Ferreira is a respected figure in materials science, recognized worldwide for his expertise in corrosion and materials protection, with a career spanning five decades. He has made significant contributions across various areas, including passive film electronic structures, aluminium alloys, reinforced concrete, biomaterials, coatings, corrosion inhibitors, and self-healing materials. His work also covers atmospheric corrosion and the use of localized electrochemical techniques.

He is currently an Honorary Full Professor at the University of Aveiro, Portugal, and a member of the Aveiro Institute of Materials (CICECO). He has held leadership roles such as Head of the Department of Materials and Ceramic Engineering and coordinator of the Surface Engineering and Corrosion Protection Group.

Ferreira has published over 370 peer-reviewed articles in leading corrosion journals, holds an h-index of 91 (Scopus, December 2024), and has edited 4 scientific books, co-authored 18 book chapters, and registered 5 patents. He has led numerous national and international R&D projects funded by EU programs such as Horizon 2020 and BRITE-EURAM.

He has played a pivotal role in bridging academia and industry through collaborations with companies like EADS, Airbus, FIAT, ThyssenKrupp, and Tata Steel. He has supervised many successful MSc, PhD, and postdoctoral researchers, and frequently delivers keynote and plenary lectures at international conferences.

Ferreira co-founded SmallMaTek LDA, a spin-off dedicated to corrosion and biofouling protection. He has been active in several scientific societies and EU technical committees, and also served as Deputy Director-General for Higher Education in Portugal.

His achievements have been recognized with prestigious honors, including being named a Fellow of the International Society of Electrochemistry (ISE) and The Electrochemical Society (ECS), as well as receiving the H.H. Uhlig Award (ECS), the European Corrosion Medal (European Federation of Corrosion), and the Marcel Pourbaix Award (International Corrosion Council), highlighting his global impact on the scientific community.

PROF. Sarah Haigh

Professor Sarah Haigh leads a research group focussing on the characterisation of two dimensional (2D) materials and nanomaterials using advanced transmission electron microscopy (TEM). She received her M.Eng and D.Phil degrees in Material Science from the University of Oxford (UK), then worked at JEOL UK before moving to the University of Manchester in 2010. She is now Professor of Materials Characterisation, Director of the $100M bp International Centre for Advanced Materials and also Director of the University of Manchester’s large Electron Microscopy Centre, which has 31 microscopes and over 300 users. She has published over 200 journal papers, including 45 as corresponding author, and 5 book chapters (H-index =68, over 22000 citations). In recognition of her research expertise, she has received ERC Starter (2017) and Consolidator grants (2024), the IoM3 Silver Medal (2013), Rosenhain Medals (2017), the RSC Analytical Science Mid-Career Award (2023), and was the Blavatnik Physical Sciences Finalist UK (2022). She is also an elected Liveryman of the Worshipful Company of Armourers and Brasiers, UK.

Dr. Jürgen TIEDJE 

Head of Unit of the “Industrial Transformation” Unit.
Directorate Prosperity in the Directorate General for Research and Innovation of the European Commission. 

Jürgen Tiedje, working with the European Commission since 1992; German nationality; lawyer as educational background,  wide experience in different Commission departments of European policy making, including industry and qualifications. 

Between January 2017 and March 2021, he has been in charge of a unit focusing on advanced manufacturing, energy intensive industries, energy efficient buildings and biotechnologies in DG Research and Innovation. The unit has also been running public private partnerships with relevant industries, which have been funded for around 2.6 BEUR under Horizon 2020. . His unit has also been running about 260 projects funded under this programme, which have been delegated to the Health and Digital Executive Agency in April 2021.   

He has been appointed as of 1st April 2021 Head of Unit for Industrial Transformation in the Prosperity Directorate. The unit is in charge of preparing the future work programmes in the cluster “digital, industry, space” under Horizon Europe, namely covering all relevant industrial technologies and materials.

Prof. Dr. Stefan Pogatscher

Professor for Metallurgy of Sustainable Light Metal Alloys, Head of the Department Metallurgy, Montanuniversität Leoben.

Prof. Dr. Stefan Pogatscher is a leading scientist in the field of sustainable metallurgy and light metals. He serves as the Head of the Department Metallurgy at Montanuniversität Leoben and holds the professorship for "Metallurgy of Sustainable Light Metal Alloys." After earning his doctorate from Montanuniversität Leoben, he conducted postdoctoral research at ETH Zurich before returning to his alma mater. Since 2018, Prof. Pogatscher has been leading the Christian Doppler Laboratory for Advanced Aluminum Alloys, where he collaborates with academic and industrial partners to develop innovative aluminum alloy concepts. His research focuses on the metallurgy of sustainable light metals, with particular emphasis on novel alloy design and high-resolution material characterization using state-of-the-art analytical techniques. For his outstanding scientific contributions, Prof. Pogatscher has received numerous prestigious awards, including European Research Council (ERC) Grants. His recent ERC Consolidator Grant project, HETEROCIRCAL, explores intermetallic phase heterostructured circular aluminum alloys, which will be discussed in the talk.

Prof. DR. ROSA MENÉNDEZ

Rosa Menéndez is an organic chemist who graduated from the University of Oviedo, earning her doctorate from the same university in 1986. She began her scientific career at the National Institute of Coal (now the Carbon Science and Technology Institute), INCAR-CSIC, in Oviedo, in the 80s where she continues as Research Professor, making significant contributions in the area of carbon materials. One of her recent lines of research has focused on the potential applications of graphene in biomedicine, energy storage, and environmental applications. She has worked at several universities in Europe and the United States, including the University of Newcastle upon Tyne, Carbondale, Nottingham, Clemson, and Imperial College.

Prof. Menéndez served as President of the Spanish National Research Council CSIC from 2017 to 2022, becoming the first woman to chair this institution, and as Vice President of Science Europe. She also held the positions of Vice President of Scientific and Technical Research at CSIC, Institutional Coordinator of CSIC in Asturias, and Director of INCAR. Additionally, she has held various leadership roles in national and international organizations, including the Presidency of the European Carbon Association, coordination of the Materials and Energy Program of the National R&D&I Plan, membership on the National Commission for the Evaluation of Research Activity, membership on the Governing Council of the Spanish Research Agency, and Presidency of the Spanish Carbon Group, among others. She has also served on advisory boards for the industrial sector, such as the multinational SASOL or NalonChem.

Prof. Menéndez has been the main researcher on more than 20 national and European projects, coordinating several of them. As a result of her research work, she has published over 220 papers in international journals and holds 9 patents. She has supervised 24 PhD theses. Prof. Menéndez has received a number of recognitions, including the XIX DuPont Award, the Shunck Carbon Award, the Scientific Career Award from the Spanish Association of Materials, the Award for Chemical Excellence granted by the General Council of the Official Associations of Chemists of Spain, and the Silver Medal of the Principality of Asturias in 2019, among others. There is a street named after her in Oviedo, her town.

Prof. Dr. Franz Faupel

Franz Faupel received his Ph.D. in Physics from the University of Göttingen in 1985. He was a postdoctoral fellow at the IBM Research Center in Yorktown Heights and earned his habilitation in 1992. Since 1994, he has held the Chair for Multicomponent Materials at Kiel University. He is the Chairman of the North European Initiative Nanotechnology and a founding member of the newly established International Alliance of Societies for a Sustainable Future. Additionally, he has served on various editorial boards, including the Journal of Materials Research, Applied Physics Letters, and the Journal of Applied Physics. Faupel has published over 420 research papers on topics such as functional nanocomposites and organic thin films, magnetoelectric sensors, photocatalysis, plasma and sputter deposition, memristors, and self-organized nanogranular networks for neuromorphic electronics. His earlier work also includes research on metallic glasses and metal-polymer interfaces.

For more information, please visit www.tf.uni-kiel.de/matwis/matv and scholar.google.de/citations?user=YnVgzIoAAAAJ&hl=de.

Dr. laura del río fernández

Laura del Río Fernández is an R&D scientist specializing in additive manufacturing and steel powder development. With more than nine years of experience in ArcelorMittal Global R&D, she has played a key role in the advancement of new materials, processes and industrial applications for metal additive manufacturing.

Currently, she works as a scientist in the Process and Product Development department, leading strategic research initiatives in metal powder, filament, wire and printed solutions for various industries. She actively contributes to the qualification and standardization of additive manufacturing products, guiding a dedicated team and collaborating with key stakeholders.

Previously, as an R&D engineer and area lead in additive manufacturing materials development, she led the development of advanced steel powders for applications in tooling, electrical components, soft magnetic materials, corrosion resistant steels and more. He managed multi-center collaborations across ArcelorMittal's seven global R&D centers, overseeing the entire steel powder production lifecycle, from design and atomization to final part validation using technologies such as LPBF, DED, EBM and Binder Jetting.

His expertise spans material characterization, process optimization and industrialization. She played a key role in the creation of an additive manufacturing lab for powder production and metallurgical analysis, and mentored a team of researchers and engineers. She has also contributed significantly to intellectual property, with several patents filed and multiple projects in progress.

Laura holds a Master's degree in Energy Engineering and a Bachelor's degree in Chemical Engineering from the University of Oviedo. She is fluent in English and Spanish and has a strong background in scientific research, project management and technological innovation in additive manufacturing.

Gloria Rodríguez

Gloria Rodríguez Donoso, PhD in Chemical Sciences from the Complutense University of Madrid (UCM), is currently Professor of Materials Science and Engineering at the School of Industrial Engineering of Ciudad Real (University of Castilla-La Mancha, UCLM). As co-director of the Continuum Mechanics, Structures and Materials Engineering research group at the UCLM, Dr. Rodríguez Donoso leads research on sustainable processing methodologies of metallic materials with concentrated solar energy and on characterization, properties, and behaviour in service of metallic materials processed by additive manufacturing. Dr. Rodríguez Donoso also coordinates two science outreach projects: "Ingenious Women" and "Welcome to Materland”, which receive funding from the Spanish Foundation for Science and Technology (FECYT).

Dr. Rodríguez Donoso is an integral member of the executive team at the Spanish Society of Materials (SOCIEMAT) and has served on the Advisory Board for Science in Castilla-La Mancha since 2022, where she presides over the Women and Science Committee. Her contributions to academia and society have been acknowledged with various honors, including the Recognition for Teaching Innovation by the UCLM Social Council (2019), the Empowerment and Leadership Award 2021 from the City Council of Ciudad Real, and the Woman Researcher Award at the Castilla-La Mancha Research and Innovation Awards (2022).

Irene García Cano

Researcher ID: H-5090-2015
Código Orcid: 0000-0003-4947-5675

Industrial Engineer (1998 from the University of Zaragoza), PhD in Sciences from the Autonomous University of Madrid (2002) and currently Full Professor of the Department of Materials Science at the Universitat de Barcelona. Since the beginning of her scientific activity, she has published more than 100 scientific works, has led 9 doctoral theses and participated in projects of the Spanish National Plan and the European Union Program, having developed three patents and various industrial transfer agreements (14 trade secrets). She has designed and executed innovative lines of research linked with European priority lines, achieving a great deal of experience and international and national research connections. She has focused her research work on topics from raw materials and the structure-property relationship of metallic and ceramic materials up to coatings and their different fields of application. Since 2017, she leads the Thermal Spray Center (CPT), a group dedicated surface modification by thermal spray technology. The CPT is accredited as a consolidated SGR group (research) and TECNIO group (transferred knowledge) . Her teaching career is linked to the Universitat de Barcelona where she has participated in the degrees of Materials Engineering, Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, as well as in the Master of Materials Applied Chemistry. Since the beginning of 2021, she is Vice Dean of Transfer&Research of the Faculty of Chemistry.

RELEVANT MERITS (sorted by typology)

  • Publications: In the last 5 years, I have published 50 papers
  • Research projects: 10 competitive projects have been active during the last 5 years
  • Contracts, technological or transfer merits: From 2018, my research group has invoiced 900.000€ in transfer contracts and transferred 4 PhD to different companies.
  • Patents: In the last 10 years I have presented 4 patents and 12 industrial secrets

Ms. Anna Muesmann

After having obtained her degree at the University Anna Muesmann has been working in companies in  the  scientific-technological sector. For the last 17 years she has worked in SOCIEMAT as Executive Secretary.

Daniel Sola

Daniel Sola is Senior Researcher in the Aragonese Foundation for Research & Development (ARAID) at the Engineering Faculty of the University of Zaragoza. He was previously postdoctoral researcher in the Laboratorio de Optica of the University of Murcia (Spain), Marie Skłodowska-Curie Fellow at the Technische Universität Dresden (Germany), and JAE-CSIC postdoctoral researcher at the Materials Physics Centre in San Sebastian (Spain).

His research field is currently related to the modification of ophthalmic polymers and ocular tissues by short and ultra-short laser radiation, and in materials characterization by Raman and laser spectroscopy. He has published more than 45 paper in SCI journals, and is co-author of 17 patents, 16 licensed by the German multinational Bosch und Siemens Hausgeräte (BSH). He has participated in 24 R&D projects, 6 as PI. He has presented his research in more than 50 conferences. He is author of 1 scholarly book, 1 edited book, 2 book chapters, and 3 journal covers in SCI Journals. In 2011 he was awarded the Extraordinary Doctoral Award of the University of Zaragoza and in 2017 the Seal of Excellence by the European Commission. He has been coordinator of the Erasmus+ Program with the University of Bordeaux and with the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences. He has given lectures in the University of Zaragoza, University of Vasque Country, University of Murcia and University of Bordeaux. Since 2017 he is member of the Executive Board of the Spanish Society of Materials, SOCIEMAT. 

Website: https://araid.es/en/users/dsola#profile-investigador

Teresa Guraya

Researcher ID: CTX-8722-2022
ORCID: 0000-0002-5025-8304
Website: emerg.es

Professor Teresa Guraya received her BE (Chemistry) degree from University of the Basque Country (UPV/EHU) and completed her ME in 1990 and PhD research in 1995 at the University of Navarra, both in Metallugy. She then spent few years in CAF S.A. conducting research in the field of engineering materials for railroad stock. During that period, she worked in the areas of design, manufacturing and testing of a composite-based prototype body tram. On her return to university in 1998, Professor Guraya joined the Department of Mining and Metallurgical Engineering and Materials Science at UPV/EHU. Since then, she has been teaching courses in engineering materials, manufacturing technologies, welding and failure analysis. She has supervised several PhD thesis projects and tens of final year Degree and Master Projects of engineering students. At UPV/EHU, together with her PhD students and colleagues/collaborators, Professor Guraya conducts research studying structures of materials and examining behavior of materials during processing/manufacturing and under various (service) loading conditions. For the last 10 years, she has examined how the complex melting dynamics and thermal conditions affect the microdefect and microstructure formation during LPBF. Extensive studies have been carried out to reveal the grain formation and growth mechanisms under the conditions of very high cooling rates and very high thermal gradients during LPBF. She has also studied extensively the basic metallurgy of difficult to weld alloys. More recently, she started a new line on High Entropy Alloys, focused on alloys design, manufacturing process and physical and mechanical characterization. Professor Guraya leads eMERG (emerg.es), a small research group on materials engineering located at the School of Engineering of Bilbao (UPV/EHU). The group actively collaborates with other members of the “Basque Network for Research an Innovation (RVCTI)” and works very linked to the local metallurgical industry. eMERG funds their research work through regional and national calls, applying mostly for low TRL collaborative research projects. As PI, Professor Guraya has succeeded more than 25 research projects proposals, capturing more than 1.300.000 euros. She is coauthor in 5 patents, more than 50 research publications and tens of contributions to international and national conferences.

Paloma Fernández Sánchez

Dept. Física de Materiales, Fac. Ciencias Físicas, Universidad Complutense

I joined the Department of Materials Physics in 1986 as an assistant professor and since 2007 I am full professor in the  area of Materials Science and Metallurgical Engineering.

Along my career I have worked in different materials, although during the last years I am focused on oxides for optoelectronics, photocatalysis and sensing. I have published around 170 papers, more than 160 indexed. Of these, around 80% belong to Q1 of the corresponding area, and more than 90% to T1. My current index h is 27, with i10 of 86, and circa 3000 cites. I have made more than 160 contributions to national and international Congresses. Of the contributions made more than 50 have been oral communications and more than 20 guests or plenary.

I have actively participate in scientific societies, being member of Real Sociedad Española de Física, Sociedad de Microscopia Española y Sociedad Española de Materiales  where I have been President during the period January 2007-December 2016

I have also been Vice-president (2016-2017) and President ) (2018-2019) of the Federation of European Materials Societies (FEMS)

I have served as chair of several international conferences (EUROMAT 2009, 2013 and 2021; FIMPART 2018; NANO2022).

As main academic appointments I have been academic secretary of the department Física de Materiales, January 1993 to June 2010 and Representative of Departamento Física de Materiales in the Academic Commission (Facultad de Ciencias Físicas),  November 2018 to July 2010. Since 2011 I am responsible for the Physics and Chemistry Section (Máster de Formación de Profesorado de E.S.O. y Bachillerato, Formación Profesional y Enseñanzas de Idiomas de la Universidad Complutense

As one of my main interests are in the outreach and education field I have occupied several positions in different national and international committees an panels

  • Member of the Permanent Commission of the Projects ENCIENDE and ACIERTAS for the promotion of Science at School -Confederación de Sociedades Científicas de España (COSCE) since 2011.
  • Responsible for Materials Education symposia in FEMS-EUROMAT editions since 2015
  • Member of Advisory Board of International Materials Education Symposium (Granta & Cambridge University)

http://piloto.fis.ucm.es/paloma/

Email: arana@ucm.es

Juan José de Damborenea

Juan José de Damborenea González (Bilbao, 1958). Degree in Chemical Sciences by the Universidad Complutense Madrid (UCM, 1980), with a diploma thesis in the field of Metallurgy (1982). Doctorate in Chemistry by the UCM (1985) and BSc in Welding (Ministry of Education and Science, Madrid 1985). At 1982 he joined at the Corrosion and Protection Department of the National Centre for Metallurgical Research (CENIM-CSIC) where he has developed his scientific career. Research Fellow (1988) and Academic Visitor at Imperial Collage London and at the Universities of Campinas (Brazil) and Oriente (Santiago de Cuba). In 2008 he was appointed Deputy Vice-President for Scientific-Technical Areas of the CSIC, a position he held until 2012. He has been Executive Officer of the Federation of European Materials Societies (2009-2014) and is currently President of the Spanish Materials Society (SOCIEMAT).

Since 1982 his scientific activity has been focused on the field of Corrosion and Protection of metallic materials. He has directed and participated in numerous national and European research projects, always related to corrosion phenomena and surface modification techniques of materials to improve their resistance in aggressive environments. He is also co-author of more than one hundred and fifty research papers and numerous presentations at national and international conferences, always in the field of corrosion and protection. In 2022 he was recognised as an Honorary Fellow of the European Federation of Corrosion.

Anna Zervaki

Dr. Anna Zervaki is an Assistant Professor in the area of Metallic Materials and Welding Technology at the School of Naval Architecture and Marine Engineering, National Technical University of Athens, Greece. Her research activities include: modern welding processes and simulation of the microstructural evolution of alloys during solidification, homogenization, aging, and welding; behavior of metallic materials in hydrogen rich environments; Wire Arc Additive Manufacturing (WAAM); computational alloy thermodynamics and kinetics; simulation of heat treatment processes of alloys; friction stir welding of light alloys; corrosion behavior of alloys in harsh environments. She has extensive experience in the investigation of  failure mechanisms of mechanical components and structures. Her research has received support from the EU, the Greek Secretariat for Research and Technology (GSRT), and direct funding from industry. She is a co-author of over 90 papers published in international journals and conference proceedings, and has contributed to over 400 failure analysis reports, which were funded directly by industry. Additionally, she has participated in 20 European and national research projects, and has served as the Scientific Responsible in 7 of them.  She currently serves as the Immediate Past President of the Federation of European Materials Societies (FEMS).

Rodrigo Moreno

Rodrigo Moreno is Research Professor at Institute of Ceramics & Glass (Madrid, Spain). He is coauthor of more than 400 papers, 2 books and 10 book chapters, with about 11000 cites in Google Academy, h-index 49 and i10 index de 273. He has led and participated in more than 50 research projects and oriented 20 PhDs. He has participated in the Scientific Committee and Organizing Committee of more than 70 Congresses where he has given 60 invited and plenary talks. He was in the board of the JECS Trust and is now Vice-President of SOCIEMAT and board member of FEMS. He is Editor of the journal Material-ES, edited by SOCIEMAT, Senior Editor of the Journal of the European Ceramic Society and belongs to the board of other journals, such as Frontiers, Materials and the European Journal of Materials, the journal launched by FEMS. He is Fellow of ECERS and ACERS, Honorary Member of SOCIEMAT, member of the World Academy of Ceramics, and has been awarded with the Best Career in Materials by SOCIEMAT and the JECS Trust Award.

Prof. Dr. Antonio Salinas Sánchez (ES)

Director of the Research Group on Intelligent Biomaterials of the Complutense University of Madrid integrated in the CIBER-BBN and the IIS of the Hospital 12 de Octubre. He researches on the design and characterisation of nanostructured biomaterials based on bioceramics that promote bone tissue regeneration. Visiting Professor at the RMS Foundation in Switzerland and at the Universities of Modena, Paris, Florida and Aveiro. He is the author of more than 130 articles, 3 books, 12 book chapters and more than 140 communications. He has been cited more than 6,300 times, with an h-index of 45. He has delivered more than 40 keynote and invited lectures. He has participated in 33 research projects, in 15 as PI. Supervised 10 doctoral theses. Co-inventor of 2 patents. Organizer of symposia on biomaterials at the congresses of the European Federation of Materials Societies. Member of the editorial board of Biomolecules, Materials and guest editor of special issues of Frontiers in Bioengineering and Biotechnology, Chemistry Engineering Journal and Materials. Awarded the prize for the Rapid Fire at the World Congress on Biomaterials 2012 and since March 2024 he is a Full Member of the Royal National Academy of Pharmacy, Medal Number 13.

Dr. Faith Nightingale (UK)

Faith Nightingale is Director of Education at Queen Mary Engineering School, Xi’an, China where she also lectures in Professional Skills for Engineers. She is an award-winning educator, winning awards for her work in the development of professional skills in higher education. She has published works in the area of engineering education on topics including developing skills through an escape room challenge and using an engineering logbook as a record of professional development.

Faith has 14 years’ experience in higher education in transnational education contexts having worked in the Middle East and China. She is actively involved in scholarship activities in the areas of professional skills/graduate attributes, using technology in the classroom including virtual reality, and interdisciplinary education. She has presented at many conferences and events and has been an invited speaker at professional development events.

Faith is actively involved in several committees including the Engineering Professors Council, IOM3’s Scholarly Publications Committee and is the employability lead for the Centre for Research in Engineering and Materials Education at QMUL where she aims to enhance engineering education and professional skills in higher education.

Prof. Dr. Christof Sommitsch (AU)

Dr. Christof Sommitsch is a University Professor at Graz University of Technology in Austria. The focus of his research is on materials development of high strength, high-temperature as well as hydrogen-resistant steels, wire- and powder-based metal additive manufacturing of structural and functional materials, joining and forming of metals and materials modelling. He has co-authored close to 650 publications on these topics. He graduated at the Montanuniversität Leoben (1995) and earned his PhD degree in Materials Science from Graz University of Technology (1999) in Austria respectively. He has been with steel industry, i.e., Böhler Special Steels from 1999-2004 and served as the deputy head of Chair of Metal Forming at the Montanuniversität Leoben until 2009. He has been Head of the Institute of Materials Science, Joining and Forming at Graz University of Technology since 2009 and served as the Dean of Faculty of Mechanical Engineering and Economic Sciences (2012-2015). He is member of several Boards of Directors in industry, research centers and universities. Dr. Sommitsch is Fellow of the School of Engineering at the University of Tokyo. His research has been supported by both, industry and national as well as European Research programs.

Dr.-Ing. Dirk Lehmhus (DE)

Dirk Lehmhus received his mechanical engineering diploma working on galvanic corrosion of magnesium alloys at Volkswagen’s central laboratory in Wolfsburg, Germany, in 1998. He joined Fraunhofer IFAM, the Fraunhofer Institute for Manufacturing Technology and Advanced Materials, the same year, studying metallic foams and structures based on these. He obtained a PhD at Bremen University for studies on optimization of aluminium foam production processes and properties. In May 2009, he changed to the University of Bremen to become managing director of its Scientific Centre ISIS (Integrated Solutions in Sensorial Structure Engineering) dedicated to the development of sensorial materials and sensor-equipped structures, the foundation of which he helped organise, while maintaining his association to Fraunhofer IFAM. Topics covered in this period include integration of sensors in cast as well as additively manufactured components. In January 2018, he returned to Fraunhofer IFAM as senior scientist in the department of casting technology and lightweight construction. Since 2009, he has regularly been involved in topic and symposium coordination at the Euromat and the MS&T conference series, with a special focus on materials for transport applications, additive manufacturing and metal casting. Besides, he helped initiate the International Conference on System-Integrated Intelligence (SysInt), and hosted it in Bremen in 2014 and 2020. Furthermore, he is a member of the Scientific Committee of the International Conference on Engineering Against Failure (ICEAF) conference series. Dirk Lehmhus is member of TMS and DGM, the German materials science association. He is furthermore member of the Editorial Board of the OpenAccess journals “Metals” and “Materials” and has so far published more than 70 scientific papers. His present research interests beyond metal casting and material-integrated intelligent systems include cellular metals and metallic foams, specifically metal matrix syntactic foams, powder metallurgical materials including composites and those produced by additive manufacturing techniques. Within the area of metal casting technology, besides sensor integration, his focus is on low and high pressure die casting (LPDC, HPDC), compound casting, integrated computational materials engineering (ICME) and digitalization aspects. At Fraunhofer IFAM, he is coordinating or participating in several public and industry funded research projects with a focus on casting of light alloys for surface transport applications.

Prof. Dr. Sandra Carvalho (PT)

Sandra Carvalho is Full Professor at University of Coimbra (UC). She obtained her PhD in Physics in 2004, with a work carried out in Portugal, France, Netherlands and Germany, in the field of hard PVD coatings.

After PhD her scientific activity has been focused on the development of coatings or thin films, as well as surface treatment to enhance the performance of various components. In this regard, she leads a Surface Modification and Functionalization group

Sandra is the scientific coordinator at UC of three Mobilizing Agendas for Business Innovation within the scope of the PRR – Portuguese Recovery and Resilience Facility launched by European Commission, involving more than 100 members (88 companies and 15 R&D institutions and 5 associations) and an investment for UC of €7 million. Sandra assumed is member from European Joint Committee on Plasma and Ion Surface Engineering and member from Executive Committee of Advanced Surface Engineering Division of the American Vacuum Society (AVS). She is President of Portuguese Materials Society (SPM) since 2023. Sandra serves as vice-director of the FCTUC, with responsibilities in Research, Innovation, and Knowledge Transfer.

Prof. Dr.-Ing. Thomas Niendorf (DE)

Dr.-Ing. Thomas Niendorf is Full Professor at the Institute of Materials Engineering at University of Kassel (Germany) since October 2015. Dr. Niendorf studied Mechanical Engineering at University of Paderborn (Germany). In 2010 he did his doctorate.

Dr. Niendorf’s research interests are in the interrelationships of process, microstructure, mechanical properties and reliability of metallic materials. Analysis of residual stresses, microstructure evolution and fatigue performance are key aspects of his research projects. Materials in focus are steels, aluminum alloys, high-temperature materials, shape memory alloys (SMAs) as well as hybrid materials.

Research activities in the field of additive manufacturing (AM) comprise powder bed techniques (L-PBF and E-PBF) as well as laser metal deposition. Realization of microstructurally graded samples for improved functionality as well as thorough characterization of integrity and reliability of AM components are Dr. Niendorf’s actual fields of research in AM and 4D-printing, respectively.

Dr. Niendorf published more than 300 peer-reviewed papers in renowned journals. Furthermore, he holds several patents and has been invited speaker in many conferences. For his young career achievements he received several distinguished awards, e.g. the Heinz Maier-Leibnitz-Award by German Research Foundation.

Prof. Dr. Joanna Wojewoda-Budka (PO)

Ph.D. D.Sc. Joanna Wojewoda-Budka
Institute of Metallurgy and Materials Science,
Polish Academy of Sciences
Director of the Institute
Head of the Multilayers Department
25 Reymonta St.,
30-059 Krakow, Poland

e-mail: j.wojewoda@imim.pl
phone: +48 784 057 095

Joanna Wojewoda-Budka is an Associate Professor at the Institute of Metallurgy and Materials Science and since 2019 she is also a Director of the Institute. She is General Secretary of the Polish Society for Materials Science 2021-2024 and a Member of the Committee on Materials Engineering and Metallurgy of the Polish Academy of Sciences.

Her scientific activities were dedicated to the diffusion phenomena at the interconnections dedicated to electronics, the metal-ceramic composites formed due to the metal-oxide high temperature reactivity, joining technologies such as diffusion soldering, explosive welding, as well as new coatings materials.

She is co-author of about 90 journal articles (>75 indexed in ISI) and several book chapters. She has a strong links with industry as a researcher and principal investigator of about 30 national and international research projects.

She was awarded by NATO scholarship, "Start" Scholarship for Young Scientists of the Foundation for Polish Science, Scientific scholarship from the Ministry of Science and Higher Education for outstanding young scientists. The President of Poland awarded her with the Silver Cross of Merit for scientific activity in the development of science in 2017 and Knight's Cross of Polonia Restituta Order for all the scientific achievements in 2023.

Prof. Dr. Greg Haidemenopoulos (GR)

Gregory N. Haidemenopoulos, is Professor of Physical Metallurgy and Director of the Laboratory of Materials (LoM) at the Department of Mechanical Engineering of the University of Thessaly, Greece since 1992. He received his PhD in Metallurgy, MSc in Metallurgy, and MSc in Naval Architecture and Marine Engineering from MIT (USA).

His research is concerned with the application of computational alloy  thermodynamics and kinetics (CALPHAD Approach) for alloy design with applications in the design of extrudable aluminum alloys and the design of medium-Mn steels. He has also been active in the area of hydrogen trapping and embrittlement of high-strength aluminum alloys.

In addition to teaching and research, he has provided consulting services to industry in the fields of process design, failure analysis, and materials selection. He has served, for several years, as an expert for the European Commission’s  RFCS and HORIZON  research programs.

He has supervised several PhD students and has earned the University of Thessaly's Mechanical Engineering Departmental Best Teaching Award for the years 2007, 2008, 2009, 2011, 2014, 2015, 2022 and 2023.

He is Member of Editorial Board of European Journal of Materials (T&F-FEMS), Welding International (T&F),  Materials (MDPI).

He has published a textbook entitled “Physical Metallurgy: Principles and Design” (T&F - CRC Press), translated also in chinese, 10 book chapters, 100 papers in refereed journals, and presented many keynote and invited lectures worldwide.

Prof. Dr. Francesco Baldi (IT)

F. Baldi is Associate Professor in Materials Science and Technology at the Department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering of the University of Brescia. Graduated in Chemical Engineering in 1998, he worked in R&D department of an Italian company (Turin, I) that produces instruments for the mechanical and rheological characterization of polymeric materials. In 2002 he moved to the University of Brescia.

His research activity is mainly experimental, and concerns: 1) Mechanics of polymeric materials: fracture mechanics testing methodologies for the determination of fracture resistance parameters; large deformation behaviour; structure-property relationships in micro- and nano-composites. 2) Rheology of polymeric materials: capillary rheometry; rheological behaviour of polymer melts filled with rigid particles; instability phenomena. 3) Polymer processing: relationships between processing conditions, structure and mechanical properties in components manufactured by innovative techniques.

Member of the Technical Committee 4 “Polymers, Polymer Composites and Adhesives” of the European Structural Integrity Society, ESIS (coordinator of the “Jc testing” work-area). Member of the working group “Fracture and fatigue behaviour”, WG7, of the subcommittee “Mechanical behaviour”, SC2, of the technical committee “Plastics” of ISO. Associate of the Institute of Intelligent Industrial Technologies and Systems for Advanced Manufacturing of the National Research Council of Italy.

Prof. Dr. Donatella Giuranno (IT)

She is Senior researcher at National Research Council of Italy-Institute of Condensed Matter Chemistry and Energy Technologies. Ph.D. in Chemical Process Engineering and Degree in Chemical Engineering. She is Leader of the R&D activities related to the "Design of metal systems and composite materials for high temperature applications". By a H2020 MSCA-Cofund project, she spent one year abroad with the scope to optimize composites fabrication for highly demanding applications. She is expert on studying on thermophysical properties of liquid metal systems, interfaces of dissimilar materials and related interaction phenomena, such as adhesion and reactivity at solid and liquid state, corrosion by liquid metals, optimization of liquid assisted processes, such as soldering, infiltration, coatings, liquid phase sintering, etc. Currently she is mainly focused on the design of metal-based PCM materials for developing Thermal Energy Storage and Thermal Energy Management, in the framework of a HE EIC Pathfinder Challenges Project and in parallel on developing ISRU for successfully fabricate building materials on the Lunar Surface. Based on such competencies, she collaborates actively both with European Space Agency (ESA) and Italian Space Agency (ASI) even by partecipating at several projects focused on studying liquid metals under microgravity conditions.

Dr. David Mercier (FR)

Dr. David MERCIER completed his PhD in material science and engineering at the University of Grenoble (France) in 2012, specializing in the design of thin films tailored for applications in microelectronics. His journey then led him to enriching experiences through impactful postdoctoral research projects conducted in Germany (MPIE) and Belgium (CRM Group) between 2013 and 2018. During this period, his focus shifted to the realm of metallurgy, where he dedicated his efforts to multiscale modeling and the characterization of mechanical properties using cutting-edge techniques like nanoindentation. Notably, David played an active role in advancing nanoindentation data processing routines, showcasing his contributions on his GitHub page (https://github.com/DavidMercier). In 2018, David joined the UK company Granta Design, where he spearheaded collaborative initiatives with academics on materials education. After the acquisition of Granta Design by Ansys Inc., David transitioned into a pivotal role at the Office of the CTO as a Senior Collaborative R&D Project Manager. He has been at the forefront of leading European-funded projects, focusing on the development of innovative software solutions, particularly in the field of Integrated Computational Materials Engineering (ICME) and Material Informatics.

Prof. Dr. Gesa Beck (DE)

Prof. Dr. Gesa Beck is a chemist with a PhD in natural science. Her work focusses on the development of sustainable recycling solutions for difficult waste types (e.g. electronic waste or composites) as well as sustainability and criticality assessments. Currently, she is the Vice-President for Sustainable Development as well as the Director of the Institute of Applied Resource Strategies (IARS) and Professor for Environmental Engineering at SRH Berlin University of Applied Sciences (Berlin, Germany). Furthermore, she is the managing director and co-funder of the Berlin based startup ABCircular GmbH where sustainable recycling solutions for electronic waste are installed and sustainability trainings and consulting are offered. From 2015 till 2022 she was also the head of the Fraunhofer Applied Center for “Resource efficiency “ARess” at the Fraunhofer Research Institute for Materials Recycling and Resource Strategies IWKS and between 2015 and 2019 Professor for „Resource-efficient construction“ at the Technical University of Aschaffenburg and between 2013 and 2015 Professor for „Chemistry of Materials and Resources“ at the Chair of Resource Strategies at the University of Augsburg.

Prof. dr. ir. Annabel Braem (BE)

Annabel Braem is associate professor (since 2023) at the KU Leuven Department of Materials Engineering, Belgium, as part of the research group on Biomaterials and Tissue Engineering. She has been appointed as post-doctoral researcher (in 2012) and assistant professor (in 2017) at the same department. Annabel obtained her PhD in Engineering Science from KU Leuven, Belgium, in 2012 for which she received the 2014 EPMA Powder Metallurgy Best PhD Dissertation Award. She teaches courses on biomaterials in the master programmes of Materials Engineering and Biomedical Engineering at KU Leuven.

Annabel Braem’s research is situated at the tangent of materials engineering and biomedical sciences aiming to develop hybrid organic/inorganic biomaterials that are able to deliver bioactive substances at the implant surface across multiple time and length scales. The focus is on ceramic additive manufacturing and surface modification techniques that enable controlled release or immobilization of biomolecules. Annabel authored over 60 papers with an h-index of 20 (WoS). She is currently (co-)supervising 9 PhDs (in addition to 2 defended PhDs). Annabel serves as president-elect of the Belgian Ceramic Society and chair-elect of the American Ceramic Society Bioceramics Division. She is a member of the Advisory Editorial Board of Applied Surface Science. 

Prof. Dr. Theodora Kyratsi (CY)

Dr. Theodora Kyratsi is Professor in the Department of Mechanical and Manufacturing Engineering at the University of Cyprus (UCY). She holds a first degree in Physics, M.Sc. in Physics of Materials and Ph.D. in Physics and Materials Science from the Department of Physics at Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Greece. Before she joined UCY, she was researcher at the Department of Chemistry in Michigan State University, USA. She is the head of the Powder Technology Laboratory since 2004. Today, her research activities include synthesis of energy-related materials, thermoelectric materials, materials for CO2 storage, nanomaterials and nanocomposites, powder technology – ball milling, consolidation techniques, and additive manufacturing of metals. She has been the principal investigator in projects funded by the Cyprus Research Promotion Foundation and the EU focusing on the development/optimization of thermoelectric materials (i.e. silicides, half Heusler, chalcogenides) as well as 3D printing of metallic powder via SLM. Furthermore, she has been participant in the ICARUS and THERMOMAG projects funded from EU as well as several COST Actions.

Prof. Dr. Arnaldo Moreno (ES)

He is Full Professor at the University Jaume I of Castellón. His professional career is linked to the Institute of Ceramic Technology, which he joined in January 1987, an entity recognized as a model of collaboration between a Research Center and the ceramic industry. His trajectory has focused on Ceramic Technology, and has been developed through participation in numerous R&D projects funded by private companies and by regional, Spanish, and European administrations. Among the topics of his research work, it is worth highlighting: raw materials, ceramic compositions, stages of the manufacturing process of ceramic products, heat transfer mechanisms in dryers and kilns, frits, glaze properties, glaze application process, melting and sintering, new decoration and shaping processes of ceramic products, and functional coatings of ceramic tiles.

He has participated in two R&D networks funded by the European Commission (Network of Excellence “Knowledge-based Multicomponent Materials for Durable and Safe Performance”) and by the Department of Business, University and Science of the Valencia Government (Network for the application of nanotechnologies in materials and products for construction and habitat. He is Technical Director of the “European virtual institute on knowledge-based multifunctional materials” and the Chair of the Spain Chapter of the American Ceramic Society.

Prof. Dr. Francisca G. Caballero (ES)

Prof. Ms. Francisca G. Caballero is Research Professor at the Spanish National Centre for Metals Research (CENIM-CSIC) since 2018. She obtained her Ph.D. in Physics from the Complutense University of Madrid in 1999 for studying solid-solid phase transformations in steels during reheating. From 1997 to 2000, she worked as a research associate at the University of Cambridge in UK on the design of carbide-free bainitic steels. She has held a visiting scientist position at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory in Oak Ridge-TN-USA since 2004. Additionally, between 2013 and 2014 she has been the Deputy Director of Science at CENIM, and Vice-Rector for Postgraduate Studies and Research at Menendez Pelayo International University between 2014 and 2018. From 2018 to 2021 she has worked for Elsevier Inc as Editor-in-Chief of the Encyclopedia of Materials: Metals and Alloys published in 2021. Prof. Caballero’s current research objective is to understand the relationship among the steel processing, its structure and its mechanical properties. In this regard, she investigates the transformation mechanisms, characterize the structure of the material from the micro to the nano-scale describing the physics and chemistry that govern the processes of transformation of steel and its properties under real conditions of use.

About the city

Granada

Granada has some of the country’s greatest cultural heritage, located in eastern Andalusia, in the south of Spain.

In addition to the world-famous Alhambra and the Albaicín, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, Granada boasts a Renaissance Cathedral that was begun in the 16th century.

Granada is considered one of the world’s cultural capitals and one of the most important tourist destinations in the world.

Granada is geographically surrounded by the Sierra Nevada Natural Park and is also very close to the Mediterranean sea. Less than 30 minutes from the capital is the Sierra Nevada ski resort, the southernmost ski resort in Europe and one of the most extensive in terms of kilometers of slopes. The coastal towns of Motril and Almuñecar are 50 minutes from the capital.

Granada is the birthplace of illustrious figures such as Federico García Lorca, an outstanding poet, playwright and storyteller

La Alhambra

The first visit to the Alhambra, the world’s most spectacular and renowned Arab construction, is an unforgettable experience.

The Alhambra’s ship-like outline surrounded by cypress trees can be seen from anywhere in the city. The monument has been the emblem of Granada for twelve centuries.

The Alhambra has been a palatine city, a royal palace and citadel, all in one. The construction of the complex is amazing: it has no main façade, no centre or no core attraction. Buildings, towers, palaces, courtyards and gardens follow each other naturally, as though designed by the inhabitants’ everyday lives.

More at turismo.granada.org

Parque de las Ciencias

The Parque de las Ciencias is an interactive science museum of 70,000 m2, located just a few minutes walk from the historic center of Granada. Since its inauguration in 1995, it has been the most visited museum in Andalusia.

More than 15 million people have already visited its facilities, a figure that has consolidated it as an international reference center for the popularization of science in southern Europe. It is open all year round, from Tuesday to Sunday, and offers activities and exhibitions for all audiences.

It is managed by a Public Consortium formed by the Junta de Andalucía; the City Council of Granada; the Diputación Provincial de Granada; the Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas and the University of Granada.

Seven permanent exhibition pavilions, 5,000 m2 of temporary exhibitions, the digital planetarium, the BioDome, the cultural gallery, the biblioLAB, the cinemas, the auditorium and the Windows to science are some of its spaces. They bring together health, environment, architecture, literature, physics, chemistry, mechanics and astronomy, among other topics. Its activities include international exhibition and research projects, as well as being the Spanish headquarters of the European Space Agency Educational Office (ESA – ESERO).

HOW TO GET AROUND GRANADA

Bus

There are city, intercity and Suburban buses in Granada. Dedicated lines will take attendees to the most important monuments (as the Alhambra, Albaicin or Sacromonte), the airport or the nearby cities. Single tickets cost is €1.40 and different travel cards are available.

Light metro

The Granada Metro crosses the city from north to south, joining the capital with the nearby villages of Armilla, Albolote and Maracena. The metro has a length of 15.9 km and 26 stations. Single tickets cost is €1.35 and travel cards are available.

On foot

Although the public transport is really cheap and accesible, Granada is a walkable city and most of the main touristic attractions can be visited on foot. Attendees will be able to enjoy the great weather of Granada in September through its gorgeous streets and monuments.

Climate

Granada has a continental Mediterranean climate, which is dry with little rainfall. It is cold in winter and hot in summer. The temperature difference between day and night can reach 20°C at certain times of the year.

Granada Bus
Services

To see a map of each route and bus stops, frequency, schedules, visit Granada Buses. Here you can find out about timetables, journeys, fares and any other information on Granada’s urban bus network.

There is a bus pass called CrediBus which the visitor can use when traveling by bus in Granada.

How to Reach Granada from the Airport?

There is a bus service from the airport to central Granada. The journey lasts around 50 minutes depending on the time of day, since traffic levels vary and the bus makes several stops in the city centre.

You can also reach the centre of Granada from the airport by taxi, which costs 25-35 euros.