Machine learning interatomic potential for green steel production
Dr Baptiste Bienvenu wins Humboldt scholarship
Dr Baptiste Bienvenu has been honoured with an Alexander von Humboldt scholarship, allowing him to pursue his research as a postdoctoral scientist at the Max Planck Institute for Sustainable Materials (MPI SusMat). His work is focused on advancing the production of green steel through a novel machine-learning model that deepens our understanding of direct iron ore reduction—a crucial step for making sustainable steel production a reality.
"We know about the potentials of the direct reduction process. Yet, the precise formation of microstructures, defects, and gradients during the process remains unclear. These factors are vital as they influence the final material's properties. To study these phenomena at the very atomic scale at which they happen, I am developing a novel machine-learning interatomic potential. Through strong collaborations with the experimental work performed at MPI SusMat, this model will help to shine light on the phenomena occurring during hydrogen direct reduction, allowing us to identify and overcome barriers to industrial implementation."
Bienvenu studied Engineering at the École Centrale de Lyon, France and did his Masters in Advanced Materials Science at the Imperial College London, England. Before joining MPI SusMat, he defended his doctoral thesis on atomic scale modelling of dislocations of dislocations at the French Alternative Energies and Atomic Energy Commission Center (CEA) at Université Paris-Saclay, France. At MPI SusMat, his research is located at the intersection of computational and experimental materials sciences.
The Humboldt Foundation supports academic cooperation between outstanding scientists from abroad and in Germany. It grants these research fellowships to researchers who have excellent qualifications and their own research profile. As the awardee is free to choose any host institution in Germany, the prize counts as a great honour for both the awardee and the host institution.
