EDUCATION
01/2012 Habilitation “Constrained sintering of ceramic materials”, Technische Universität Darmstadt
09/2003 PhD in Engineering Sciences with highest honours: “Electromechanical characterization and modelling of PZT ferroelectric ceramics” (Université de Franche-Comté, France)
1999-2000 Postgraduate specialization in Mechanics of Solids and Surfaces
(Université de Franche-Comté, France)
06/1998 Engineer Degree (Ecole des Mines d’Alès, France), Majoring in Materials
PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE
Since 02/2014 Director, Institute of Energy and Climate Research (from 07/2024: Institute of Energy Materials and Devices) Forschungszentrum Jülich GmbH & Full Professor (Chair of Materials Synthesis for the Energy, RWTH Aachen University)
06-07/2023 Honorary Chair Professor, National Taiwan University of Science and Technology,Taipei
07/2021 Guest professor, University of Grenoble Alpes & CEA IRIG, France
03-04/2013&10/2015 Guest professor, Materials and Structures Laboratory, Tokyo Institute of Technology, Japan
10/2011-02/2014 Professor of Mechanics of functional Materials
Institut für Materialwissenschaft und Werkstofftechnologie
Friedrich-Schiller-Universität Jena
01/2007 – 09/2011 DFG funded-Emmy Noether Group Leader
Department of Materials Science,
Technische Universität Darmstadt, Germany
07/2006 – 12/2006 Visiting scientist
Department of Materials Science and Engineering,
University of Washington, Seattle, USA
09/2004 – 06/2006 Post-doc
Ceramics Group of Prof. J. Rödel, Department of Materials Science, Technische Universität Darmstadt, Germany
10/2003 – 08/2004 Teaching and research assistant
Laboratory of Electrical Engineering and Ferroelectricity,
INSA Lyon, France
10/2000 – 09/2003 Doctoral researcher
Laboratory of Applied Mechanics, Université de Franche-Comté, Besançon, France
PROFESSIONAL ACTIVITIES
Since 2024 Member of the advisory board, Career center & postdoc office, FZ Jülich
Since 2023 Member of the Strategic Planning for Emerging Opportunities Committee, The American Ceramic Society
Young Excellent Scientist Program, member of review panel, FZ Jülich Coordinator of the French-German research program “High-Power Batteries” (BMBF-ANR)
Since 2021 President of the scientific council, PEPR “Hydrogène décarboné (ANR, France)
Since 2020 Spokesperson of Helmholtz Program “Materials & Technologies for the Energy Transition” & Member of the Management Board Helmholtz Energy
2020-2024 Elected member of the DFG review board “Materials Science and Engineering”
2020-2023 Member of the “Rishi Raj Medal for Innovation and Commercialization Award” nomination committee, The American Ceramic Society (ACerS)
Since 2019 Member of the Board of Directors, German Ceramic Society (DKG)
2018-2024 Coordinator of the “Oxides” Platform within the BMBF-funded “FestBatt” competence cluster
2016-2024 Initiator and coordinator of the DFG Priority Program SPP 1959 „Manipulation of Matter Controlled by Electric and Magnetic Fields: Towards Novel Synthesis and Processing Routes of Inorganic Materials”
Since 2016 Member of the German Advisory Council on Battery Research (BMBF)
2013-2017 Member of the R.L. Coble Award nomination committee, ACerS
Since 2012 Spokesperson of the German expert committee on Field Assisted Sintering Technique / Spark Plasma Sintering
Chair of DKG annual meeting in 2021, co-chair of two German-American Frontiers of Engineering Symposia (Alexander von Humboldt Foundation – National Academy of Engineering, 2021-23) and international conference on sintering (2023) member of scientific committees and symposium organization of international conferences (ICACC, Cimtec, MSE, European Ceramic Society, MCARE, etc.)
RECOGNITION & AWARDS
2023 Among 2% most cited scientists worldwide (Stanford-Elsevier ranking)
2022 Fellow and Global Ambassador of the American Ceramic Society (ACerS)
2022 Global star award, Engineering Ceramics Division of the ACerS
2021 Fellow of the European Ceramic Society (ECerS)
2019 World Academy of Ceramics, elected member (category: Science)
2019 Elected member of the International Institute for the Science of Sintering
2018-2024 Several best paper awards (J. Am. Ceram. Soc., Scripta Materialia, Coatings)
2017 Outstanding reviewer award (Acta/Scripta Materialia)
2011 Materials Science and Technology Prize (Federation of European Materials Societies)
2011 Robert L. Coble Award for Young Scholars (The American Ceramic Society)
2010 Masing-Gedächtnispreis (Deutsche Gesellschaft für Materialkunde)