The DGM Prize recognizes outstanding scientists who have achieved impressive breakthroughs or opened new areas of research in their field. This year, the DGM is honoring Prof. Dr.-Ing. Dr. Mont. Daniel Kiener with the 2025 DGM Prize for his exceptional contributions to the micro- and nanomechanics of materials.

1) You are now considered one of the leading figures in micro- and nanomechanics. What originally fascinated you about this field, and what keeps you enthusiastic about it today?

Shortly before I began my doctorate, an article appeared in the journal Science documenting a significant size effect on mechanical properties that was previously unknown. This piqued my curiosity and enthusiasm, and I decided to conduct such investigations myself. However, I decided to carry out these experiments in situ in an electron microscope to uncover the underlying mechanisms. Fortunately, this worked out well. To this day, I am fascinated by the possibilities of using defects and interfaces to influence material properties or to visualize their fundamental influence on the structural and functional properties of modern materials using high-resolution microscopy.

2) Some of your research has found its way into technological and industrial applications, while other work remains in the realm of basic research by design. What determines whether a topic is pursued further toward application, and what is permitted to remain "just" research?

In my opinion, a good mix of both is necessary. Basic research opens up opportunities to follow your intuition, discover something new, and gain an advantage in international knowledge. You could also pursue a slightly crazy hobby project. That's always fun, and you never know, it might even yield some unforeseen benefits. The aim of applied research is to integrate this knowledge or these possibilities into industrial implementation in a beneficial way. This contributes to securing Europe's position as a center of economic activity and innovation.

3) You are committed to sparking children's interest in materials science, as demonstrated by your approach of explaining fracture mechanics with chocolate. Why is early education in this field so important to you, and where do you find inspiration for such vivid examples?

It's never too early to foster enthusiasm for technical subjects among our youth. My generation cannot solve all the world's problems alone; this will largely be a task for future generations. I am convinced that the solutions will be technological. For that, we need the best minds! Why would a young person choose a technical education if they haven't heard much about it? That's why we need to spark enthusiasm early on!

Some ideas come from playing with children and exchanging ideas with like-minded parents and international academic colleagues. They have children, too. ;-) Take a look at the TV show Die Sendung mit der Maus (The Show with the Mouse): My children love it, and their dad enjoys watching it, too. There is plenty of inspiration for people without a background in education to get young people excited about technical subjects, such as materials science. Success is guaranteed when there are explosions, smoke, and chocolate involved.

4) You also use modern methods, such as machine learning, to analyze complex data. What new opportunities does this open up for micro- and nanomechanics, and how does it change your research practices? 

I still clearly remember the time during my doctoral studies when I searched through a video of an experiment for meaningful images. I then evaluated these images manually, and the resulting data ended up as an illustration in a publication. This process usually took a day. Today, we use machine learning methods for these tasks. Instead of analyzing a few images, we now analyze entire videos, i.e., thousands of images. This process usually takes anywhere from a few minutes to a few hours. The result is much better statistics and, in some cases, access to previously unavailable metrics. Overall, I expect to gain new insights and much better statistical significance, as well as free up more time for my employees to think about the implications of their results instead of spending hours or days analyzing them.

5) In recent years, you have expanded your research beyond metals to include ceramics, polymers, composites, and bio-inspired materials. What appeals to you about working with such diverse materials, and how similar or different are these material classes in terms of the questions and methods involved in your work?

I come from the field of metals, which is definitely my strong point. However, a classic technological application area for micromechanics is microelectronics. In every microelectronic component, you will find not only metals, but also ceramics and polymers. This illustrates the need to broaden your knowledge of materials technology. One of the hobby projects I mentioned earlier is bio-inspired materials, where incredible material properties can often be achieved by combining a hard ceramic with a soft polymer. Just think of bones, teeth, or seashells. Generally speaking, it can be said that a material class will eventually reach its limits in terms of properties, which can only be overcome by combining different materials.

Ceramics and metals can be examined equally well with my preferred methods. However, polymers are more challenging because they can be sensitive to electron beams. I really enjoy using electron microscopy, but special care must be taken to prevent unwanted material changes.

6) You and your wife both work in academia in Leoben, and you have a family. How do you balance your daily life between research, teaching, and family? What challenges does this bring, and how do you support each other in your academic work?

Yes, we are two professors in Leoben who regularly bring our young children to meetings and conferences. This is not particularly common, so we want to set an example for young scientists. University life naturally offers a certain amount of flexibility, unless you have to be in the lecture hall. However, there is room for improvement when it comes to childcare. In science, it's common to work or travel at night and on weekends. This is not particularly family-friendly, of course. However, there are occasional opportunities to attend conferences with children and give them the chance to gain international experience. This helps our children grow up to be cosmopolitan individuals, which we consider important, especially in these difficult times.

We can support each other to some extent in our work because we have different areas of expertise in similar fields. This means that we can solve one or two problems in the evening in front of the TV or during a trip together on vacation.

We would like to congratulate Professor Dr.-Ing. Dr. Mont. Kiener on this special award. We look forward to honoring him and all the award winners at DGM-Tag 2025, where we can get to know them personally.