Last Friday (08/05), the 9th Early Career Researchers (ECR) Day organized by the Materials Research Department (MRD) at RUB took place. This year’s edition of the event consisted of a half-day program of presentations by ECRs from the many chairs affiliated with the MRD, followed by a poster session and networking activities. Best talk and best poster awards were presented by the organizers.

We congratulate Felix Großwendt, who successfully completed his doctoral dissertation on May 8, 2026, on the topic “In-situ alloying using novel powder feedstocks for laser powder bed fusion of tool steels.” The dissertation describes research into the processing of mixtures of different raw material powders in laser-based additive manufacturing to produce chemically homogeneous components. This is intended to expand the available range of starting materials without relying on the cost-intensive inert gas atomization of pre-alloyed melts. In addition, the use of grinding chips as secondary powders in additive manufacturing and powder metallurgy was investigated.

On April 23, 2026, we welcomed six enthusiastic students to LWT as part of the nationwide Girls’ Day. Under the exciting theme “Off to the Lab: Become a Materials Scientist for a Day!”, they had the opportunity to engage in hands-on activities and gain insights into the fascinating world of materials science and engineering.