Throughout history, humanity has poured its greatest minds, resources, and energy into two competing endeavours — the pursuit of knowledge, and the pursuit of conflict. The choice between them could not be more consequential. War destroys. It consumes lives, erases cultures, and sets civilisations back by generations. Whatever political aims it serves, its legacy is … Continue reading An Humanist Perspective in 2026
What will the materials powering tomorrow's clean energy systems, quantum computers, and deep-space missions actually be made of — and how do we design them? We are thrilled to share our latest featured article in The European magazine, where we explore how cutting-edge research is engineering matter at the atomic scale. From the nanolaminated MAX … Continue reading Atom-by-atom materials shaping future technology
A beautiful poem written by Anna-Carina Seitlinger to her beloved boyfriend Christoph Frühwirth on the 19th December 2025' [X-MAT] Secret Santa and end of yearly dinner meeting! I am reproducing the poem in its full format as released by both Anna and Christoph! Once king of fission, neutron and core,Criticality fears him – equations adore.Reactors … Continue reading “An ode to a nuclear genious who met the microstructure”
The recent Nature editorial highlights the persistent and often underestimated problem of bullying and harassment in academia. It stresses that scientific excellence cannot be separated from the integrity of the research environment: organisations that ignore harmful behaviour ultimately undermine both their people and the quality of their work. The article calls for transparent procedures, responsible … Continue reading Stop Harassement in Science!
With great pleasure I am sharing with you our new review paper entitled "A snapshot of high-entropy alloy processing techniques and their effects on resulting mechanical properties" written by Mr. Christopher Matthews, a brilliant alumni student from the Los Alamos National Laboratory and the Dakota School of Mines, now a Master Student in Metallurgy at … Continue reading A snapshot of high-entropy alloy processing techniques and their effects on resulting mechanical properties
Professor Peter J. Uggowitzer was never officially my mentor or supervisor -- neither during my studies nor in my former postdoc in Leoben. Yet, his presence and friendship over all these years have profoundly shaped both my personal and professional life. Through him, I learned not just metallurgy, but how to think metallurgy -- how … Continue reading The Spirit of Metallurgy at 75 Years Strong
Five worlds are watching us tonight — and you can see them all with your own eyes. Look up. The Solar System is closer than you think. Tonight, you …Which Planets Can You See With the Naked Eye — and How to Find Them
It started far beneath the southern sky,In Brazil, where questions first took flight.In Leoben’s halls the dream grew strong,And in Los Alamos — it found where it belonged. There atoms formed a pattern new,Two shapes, two souls — yet one clear view:One diamond-like, with perfect grace,One hexagonal — a mirrored face. With metal bonds and … Continue reading The Birth of the ZIP Phases
The final version of our manuscript “Is nitrogen doping of diamond-like carbon films a viable strategy for bipolar plates in proton exchange membrane fuel cells?” is now available to download! We are investigating the corrosion response of diamond-like carbon coatings onto aluminium alloys under simulated proton exchange membrane fuel cells environment. In addition, we investigate … Continue reading Metal-carbon interfaces
Materials at Extremes 