PLENARY SPEAKERS
Plenary speakers
Tuesday June 10th
Alain Karma
Northeastern University, USA
Alain Karma is a Distinguished Professor of Physics at Northeastern University. He earned his Ph.D. in physics from the University of California, Santa Barbara, in 1985, followed by a Weingart postdoctoral fellowship at Caltech. Renowned for his groundbreaking contributions to phase-field methods, his work spans alloy solidification, crack propagation, and cardiac arrhythmias. Prof. Karma is a Fellow of the American Physical Society and has received numerous accolades, including the TMS Bruce Chalmers Award and the Institute of Materials’ John Hunt Medal. His research combines computational modeling with fundamental insights into interface dynamics in materials and biological systems.
Wednesday June 11th
Sabine Bottin-Rousseau
Sorbonne University, France
Sabine Bottin-Rousseau is Professor of Physics at Sorbonne University and a member of the Institut des NanoSciences de Paris. Her research connects nonlinear dynamics and materials science, with a focus on morphological transitions and microstructure formation in solidification processes. She has pioneered the design of directional-solidification setups to study interfacial anisotropy and collaborates on space-based experiments with ESA, NASA, and CNES. She also plays a key role in European academic cooperation as Sorbonne University’s representative in the 4EU+ Alliance and leads several initiatives on micro-credentials, innovative learning formats, and inclusive, research-based teaching. Her career reflects a commitment to interdisciplinary science, international collaboration, and the transformation of higher education in Europe.
Suzana G. Fries
German Aerospace Center (DLR) & Ruhr University Bochum, Germany
Suzana G. Fries is a senior scientist dedicated to combining experimental and first-principles data for sustainable alloy design. She earned her doctorate from Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul (Brazil) in 1985 and started her European career in 1989 at the Max-Planck Institute in Stuttgart. She retired in 2019 after 10 years in ICAMS, Ruhr University Bochum, where she is a guest researcher, and she also currently works with young scientists at the German Aerospace Center, DLR. She has contributed to numerous European research initiatives and co-authored the book Computational Thermodynamics–CALPHAD Method. A recipient of the Kroll Medal and Hume Rothery Prize, she was awarded an honorary doctorate from KTH, Stockholm, in 2022. Suzana is an advocate for open-source codes like OpenCalphad to promote education and accessibility in computational thermodynamics.
Thursday June 12th
Ulrike Hecht
Access e.V., Germany
Ulrike Hecht leads the Materials Development Group at Access e.V., specializing in alloy development and materials characterization across processes such as directional solidification and additive manufacturing. A global expert in eutectic solidification, intermetallics, and high-entropy alloys, her work integrates thermodynamic modeling, microstructure analysis, and advanced material testing. Her group’s expertise includes in-situ composites, MAX phases, and powder-based additive manufacturing, with a focus on small-scale material development. Dr. Hecht’s innovative research continues to advance the understanding and application of complex material systems.
Maria Teresa Pérez Prado
IMDEA Materials, Spain
Teresa Pérez-Prado heads since 2008 the Sustainable Metallurgy group at IMDEA Materials Institute. She was Division Leader between 2014 and 2017 and Deputy Director between 2017 and 2021. From 2018 to 2022 she was Manager of the programme on Structural Materials at the Spanish National Science Foundation. Dr. Pérez-Prado got a PhD in Physics at the Complutense University in Madrid in 1998 and an MBA at INSEAD, France, in 2008. After a 2 year postdoctoral stay at the University of California in San Diego, USA, she joined the National Center for Metals Research (Madrid, Spain) in 2001, where she was granted a Tenured Scientist position in 2004. She currently is a member of the Scientific Council of several international institutions including the NOMATEN Center of Excellence (Poland, 2018-2023), the IRT Jules Verne (France), the Henry Royce Institute (UK), and the European Space Agency (2018-2024). She has published more than 150 papers (h51, 9700 citations) in the field of physical metallurgy and advanced manufacturing..
Friday June 13th
Abhik Choudhury
Indian Institute of Science Bangalore, India
Abhik Choudhury is an Associate Professor at the Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore. He holds a Ph.D. from the University of Karlsruhe, Germany, and a dual B.Tech/M.Tech degree from IIT Madras. His research focuses on solidification, phase transformations, additive manufacturing, and self-organizing systems, using experimental and computational techniques such as phase-field modeling. Prof. Choudhury’s awards include the INSA Young Scientist Award (2019) and the Young Metallurgist of the Year Award (2018). His group’s work has yielded significant insights into eutectic growth, additive manufacturing, and the process-structure-property relationships of complex material systems.