Interview

Where does your fascination about coatings come from? Why are you writing your dissertation in this field of research?
With a background in mathematics and modeling, I have always been curious to apply the theoretical knowledge I gained at university in a multidisciplinary research field. With my experience, I can contribute computational methods to the development of anti-corrosive coatings, while also learning a lot about the development and functionality of coatings from my colleagues.
The replacement of effective but toxic hexavalent chromium-based corrosion inhibitors by new, safer and more cost-effective inhibitors for aluminum alloys is urgently needed, and I am happy to be able to contribute to this work.

What impact on the future can your work provide, and what are the biggest challenges?
One of the things I am working on is the development of a model that allows us to predict whether a given organic molecule would accelerate or inhibit the corrosion of aluminum. This will make the experimentalists' work easier and faster, as they will no longer have to test a large number of organic molecules but only a shortlist of potential corrosion inhibitor candidates. This will ultimately speed up the development of new, more environmentally friendly coatings. The biggest challenge here is to find machine-learning algorithms that are best suited for the limited amount of data available and at the same time perform well.

What makes your research institute special, and what do you particularly like about it?
Among other things, the many industrial cooperations we have at Hereon characterize our work. This gives us a clear understanding of the models and techniques that are actually required in the applications.
One thing that should not be overlooked as well is how rewarding it is to work in such an international and multidisciplinary team at Hereon as well as in VIPCOAT.

Which advice do you have for other young people who are interested in studying sciences? What experiences have you gained during your studies?
Studying science is nothing to be afraid of, especially when it comes to multidisciplinary subjects. There are tons of interesting things to find out and learn about, and so many more things to find out that have not been researched yet. Especially if you are a woman, you might be a little hesitant to go into a field that is traditionally dominated by men.
Nevertheless, I can say that I would always choose to study sciences again and that the already quite diverse scientific community can only benefit from every additional motivated and curious person.

What are your goals for the future as well as for VIPCOAT?
First and foremost, of course, I hope that we will successfully launch the final version of the VIPCOAT platform by the end of the project period in 1.5 years. Hopefully, we will then also be able to launch more projects using this platform and pass on the knowledge we have acquired.
My own objective is to increase the understanding of the variety of purposes for which machine learning might be helpful for and to create more awareness of how these techniques can assist us in our day-to-day tasks. 

Photo: hereon/ Lisa Depenbrock