Empowering future female leaders in science
Dr. Saba Saood selected for the Sign-Up! program 2025

Dr. Saba Saood, a postdoctoral researcher at the Max Planck Institute for Sustainable Materials (MPI-SusMat), has been selected to participate in the Sign-Up! career development program provided by the Max Planck Society. It supports outstanding female scientists to develop their leadership potential and advance in their fields.
“Reaching leadership positions can be challenging as a woman, so programs like Sign-Up! are crucial for overcoming barriers,” says Saood. “I’m eager to gain insights from alumni who have navigated similar paths.” At MPI-SusMat, Saood conducts an atomic-scale investigation of grain boundary structures and their phases in pure nickel and its solid solutions. Her research also delves into secondary defects within the boundaries, which play a pivotal role in shaping material properties. These defects are fundamental to several grain boundary phenomena such as migration, shear-coupled motion, and cohesion. Additionally, she examines how solutes influence boundary structure and mechanical behavior. By combining advanced electron microscopy techniques with computational approaches, Saood explores the interplay between atomic-scale defects and material properties, identifying prospects for new, optimized nickel alloys widely used in chemical processing, aviation and power generation.
The Sign-Up! program, a collaboration between the Max Planck Society and the European Academy for Women in Politics and Economics Berlin (EAF), helps participants strengthen their leadership and professional skills. It offers seminars on professional communication, personal presence, self-management, and effective leadership strategies.