We are pleased to announce the DGM Young Talent Prize 2024, which recognizes outstanding Ph.D. students who have graduated no more than two years ago at the time of application. This prestigious award is dedicated to young scientists who have made an outstanding contribution to nonprofit research in materials science and engineering. DGM congratulates Dr.-Ing. Andreas Bezold, Chair of General Material Properties, Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg, on receiving the DGM Young Scientist Award 2024.
1. Mr. Bezold, how do you feel about receiving the DGM Young Scientist Award? What does this award mean to you personally?
It is a great honor for me to receive the DGM Young Talent Prize. This award means a lot to me personally, as it not only recognizes my own work and dedication, but is also a sign of the successful collaboration and intensive exchange of ideas with my colleagues and mentors. Science is a collaborative effort and I am therefore particularly grateful to be part of a very supportive network. This recognition motivates me to continue working on materials science issues with passion and fascination and to make my contribution to the further development of the field.
2. Your academic career and your research successes to date are impressive. What challenges have you overcome on your path to a doctorate and how have these experiences shaped your professional development?
For me, the path to my doctorate was not only a professional journey, but also an intensive phase of personal development. Supervising several students at the same time, driving forward my own research projects and dealing with administrative tasks placed high demands on my ability to set priorities, work efficiently and keep a clear head even in stressful phases. Furthermore, scientific progress is rarely linear. It is often characterized by setbacks, be it through failed experiments or disproved hypotheses. These challenges have shown me that setbacks are not the end of a project, but rather an opportunity to discover new perspectives and research approaches, to take alternative paths and to encourage creative thinking.
Overall, these challenges have not only strengthened my professional expertise, but also my ability to continuously learn and develop.
3. What motivated you to work intensively on the mechanical properties and deformation mechanisms of superalloys?
Materials are often the key bottleneck for the development of new technologies. High-temperature materials in particular, which have to fulfill an extremely demanding property profile, are the limiting factor in many areas. It was precisely this challenge that sparked my interest and led me to work intensively on high-temperature alloys towards the end of my bachelor's degree.
I was particularly fascinated by new types of intermediate CoNi-based superalloys, which have the potential to significantly increase the operating temperatures of gas turbines and thus significantly increase their efficiency. In order to further improve the high-temperature capacities of these alloys, a deep understanding of the underlying deformation behavior is essential. Only through such an understanding can we formulate specific guidelines for the further development of these alloys and thus pave the way for the next generation of high-temperature materials.
In addition to the idea that my research could contribute to pushing technological boundaries and developing innovative alloys, I am motivated above all by the joy and fascination of electron microscopy. The detective-like search for clues and the subsequent analysis of the causes of good or bad mechanical high-temperature behavior have always inspired me and fill me with particular fascination.
4. What role do you think mentoring and support play in a scientific environment and how have these aspects influenced your own career?
Mentoring and support play a crucial role in the scientific environment. They are essential building blocks that not only promote individual success, but also enable the growth of the entire scientific community. In my career so far, mentoring and support have had a profound impact. I have been very fortunate to be guided by outstanding mentors, especially my PhD supervisor Prof. Dr. Mathias Göken and my group leader Dr. Steffen Neumeier. They not only introduced me to the world of science, but also gave me valuable advice.