Ghent University

Ghent University is a pluralistic university open to all, regardless of ideological, political, cultural or social background. Our credo is ‘Dare to Think’. Ghent University was founded in 1817. As a top 100 university (ranked 71th in the Shanghai and 96th in the Times ranking) with more than 50,000 students and 15,000 staff members, we are one of the largest universities in the Dutch language area, located in Flanders, Belgium. Ghent University Global Campus is also the first European university in Songdo, South Korea. Our 11 faculties offer more than 200 courses and conduct in-depth research within a wide range of scientific domains. Several of our research groups, centres and institutes are renowned worldwide. Under Horizon 2020 the university was involved in 380 projects, and coordinates 28 of the collaborative projects. In Horizon Europe it has already about 100 projects started.

Within the Faculty of Engineering and Architecture, Leo Kestens and Stefaan Cottenier are supervising multiple PhD students in the research group on Metals Science and Technology. The group provides longstanding expertise in microscopical characterisations and computational modeling. In AID4GREENEST, the group will contribute to (1) the microscopical characterisation and (ii) ML/AI and computational modelling.

People

LEO KESTENS

Leo Kestens

Head of research group Materials Science and Technology

Head of research group Materials Science and Technology. His main expertise lies in microscopical characterization of metal alloys, steel and aluminium, using Optical, SEM and EBSD techniques. He has published over 283 research articles in the area of metallurgy, which have received over 5200 citations.

Tuan nguyen minh

Tuan nguyen minh

post-doctoral researcher in metal science & technology

Tuan Nguyen-Minh holds a PhD degree in Materials Science & Engineering from Delft University of Technology. His scientific career has been pursued by various research positions at Ghent University, Delft University of Technology from 2013 to 2018, and afterward at Center for Research in Metallurgy – Belgium from 2018 to 2023. Currently, he is a postdoctoral researcher at Metal Science & Technology group within the Department of Micromechanics, Systems, and Metals Engineering at Ghent University.

STEFAAN COTTENIER

Stefaan Cottenier

Expert on computational modeling of metals

Expert on computational modeling of metals, with focus on ab initio modeling. His research group is active in material modeling for industrial applications, including battery materials, steels for hydrogen transport, etc. Recent research also focuses on use of ML/AI for improved understanding of the material behavior. He has published over 110 research articles, which have received over 3200 citations.

Sepideh khalatabad

Sepideh khalatabad

predoctoral researcher

As a PhD student in the AID4GREENEST project, Sepideh focuses on developing advanced AI-based tools for material characterisation and data management. Her doctoral research, titled "The Use of Artificial Intelligence for the Classification and Interpretation of Steel Microstructure Images," involves creating machine learning models to predict and analyse steel microstructures from processing parameters, significantly reducing the time required for material analysis. Additionally, she works on designing and implementing AI-driven platforms to manage and standardise data efficiently, supporting the project's goal of enhancing material quality and promoting sustainable manufacturing practices.

KAREN HEMELSOET

Karen Hemelsoet

Business developer of the Metals valorization consortium

Business developer of the Metals valorization consortium supporting approximately 120 researchers active in the broad domain of Metals R&D. This valorization consortium focuses on direct collaborations with industry as well as large multi-partner projects. Key areas are durable materials and rational material usage, and energy transition and electrification.

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