1st prize winner was Maimunah Fa Izun Haji Abdul Rahman, a PhD student at the ESRF in Grenoble
Can you tell us about your background?
I hold a Bachelor’s degree in Applied Chemistry from Malaysia and a Master’s in Materials Science and Chemistry through the Erasmus Mundus MESC+ program, where I studied across Poland, France, and Spain with a focus on energy storage systems. I am currently a PhD student at the European Synchrotron Radiation Facility (ESRF) working on biomass-derived hard carbons for sodium-ion batteries, with an emphasis on understanding structure-property relationships at multiple length scales using advanced characterization techniques.
What attracted you to the FASEM school?
My background is more centred on materials and chemistry, so I wanted to build a stronger understanding of characterization techniques, especially X-ray scattering, which is central to my PhD. FASEM appealed to me because of its broad scope, covering not only SAXS and WAXS but also complementary methods like neutron scattering and XRR, all with a strong emphasis on practical understanding.
What did you get out of attending the school?
What I valued most was the exchange with people working on very different fields but facing similar questions involving X-ray and neutron-based analyses. It really broadened how I think about my own work. At the same time, the school filled in a lot of gaps, from new characterization approaches to practical things like writing beamtime proposals. It also made concepts I’d seen before feel much more concrete and usable.
How will you build on what you learnt in your own research?
FASEM broadened how I think about designing experiments and interpreting data. In addition to SAXS and WAXS, I’m particularly interested in incorporating techniques like X-ray tomography to better understand morphological features, and neutron scattering to probe low-Z elements that are otherwise difficult to resolve. More broadly, I aim to take a more integrated approach to characterization, combining multiple techniques to gain a more complete understanding of my materials.
2nd prize winner was Sagar Jathar, Uppsala University
Can you tell us about your background?
I am a PhD student in Inorganic Chemistry at Uppsala University, working in close collaboration with Westinghouse company on developing chromium-based protective coatings for applications in harsh environments, particularly for nuclear fuel rod cladding.
What attracted you to the FASEM school?
FASEM attracted me because of its strong focus on synchrotron and neutron-based techniques and its close connection to major large-scale research facilities such as MAX IV, ESRF, and ILL, which are highly relevant to my work. It was particularly exciting to gain first-hand insight into how these facilities operate and how advanced experimental techniques can be applied in real research. Understanding how to design experiments and effectively use these tools is very valuable for my PhD. In addition, the school provided an excellent platform to interact with researchers from different backgrounds, build a professional network, and exchange ideas. Such programs are extremely helpful for developing collaborations and broadening perspectives in advanced materials research.
What did you get out of attending the school?
I gained deeper insight into advanced scattering techniques such as XANES and EXAFS, particularly for probing the local atomic structure in complex or amorphous materials. In addition, I learned how neutron scattering can be used to study hydrogen-related phenomena in nuclear reactors, such as ZrH₂ hydride formation, which is one of the key causes of cladding embrittlement and loss of structural integrity. Because neutrons are highly sensitive to light elements like hydrogen, these techniques enable mapping of hydrogen distribution and provide a clearer understanding of hydride formation and its impact on material performance.
How will you build on what you learnt in your own research?
I will apply synchrotron based X-ray and neutron scattering techniques to better understand local structure and bonding in my Cr–Nb–N coatings, helping to establish stronger structure–property relationships for nuclear applications. Also, with operando neutron radiography/tomography to physically see the hydrogen uptake and embrittlement deep inside the cladding tube.
3rd prize winner was Marcus Liljenberg, Royal Institute of Technology in Stockholm
Can you tell us about your background?
I have a MSc in Chemical engineering with a focus on material science from Uppsala University. After graduating I was working for a few years in industry. I’ve always wanted to do my own research, so when the opportunity came I started as an industrial PhD student at KTH and PowerCell in Sweden. My topic is intermediate temperature proton exchange membrane fuel cells, where I’m focusing on optimizing the catalyst layers.
What attracted you to the FASEM school?
Many of the papers I’ve been reading include methods using small angle scattering techniques. Interpreting these results is not trivial and I’ve been looking for some course to study these methods. I was lucky to find FASEM and that the focus this year is on energy materials is a happy coincidence!
What did you get out of attending the school?
A broad introduction to many techniques using x-rays and neutrons, which I hope to incorporate in my own research. I’m also hoping on getting some advice on how to proceed to make proposals to get to do my own experiments. I’m not experienced in this and neither are my supervisors, which makes it a bit difficult to start. This is also a very good opportunity to network and I’ve met many nice persons, some that I could perhaps even collaborate with.
How will you build on what you learnt in your own research?
I will have a much better understanding of reading literature where these techniques are applied. I’m also hoping to be able to consider designing my own experiments that can compliment other methods that I’m currently using. I’ll try to keep in contact with others that attended, perhaps we can continue with collaborations.