2 – 5 September, 2025 / EPFL Lausanne
This course provides an overview of different techniques and applications of materials characterization available to scientists and engineers. Lectures will provide a brief introduction to the underlying theory, discuss relevant applications and the limitations of a given technique. Hands-on experience in the lab will allow students to see the methods in action, giving them a well-rounded introduction to the technique. It is open to participants with a basic background in materials science, mechanical engineering, chemical engineering, microtechnology or physics, from both industry and academia
| Tuesday 02.09.25 | Lecturer | |
| 8:15 – 8:30 | Welcome | |
| 08:30 – 9:30 | TEM & Microanalysis | Emad Oveisi, EPFL |
| 09:45 – 10:45 | XPS | Mounir Mensi, EPFL |
| 10:45 – 11:15 | Coffee break | |
| 11:15 – 12:15 | X-ray and Neutron Diffraction | Pascal Schouwink, EPFL |
| 12:15 – 13:30 | Lunch | |
| 13:45 – 17:15 | Lab visits | |
| Weds. 03.09.25 | Lecturer | |
| 08:30 – 9:30 | Scanning Tunneling Microscopy | Harald Brune, EPFL |
| 09:45 – 10:45 | AFM | Marcos Penedo Garcia, EPFL |
| 10:45 – 11:15 | Coffee break | |
| 11:15 – 12:15 | Raman spectroscopy | Mira Dimitrievska, Empa |
| 12:15 – 13:30 | Lunch | |
| 13:45 – 17:15 | Lab visits | |
| Thur. 04.09.25 | Lecturer | |
| 08:30 – 9:30 | Characterisation of Visco-Elastic Materials | Veronique Michaud, EPFL |
| 09:45 – 10:45 | TBC | |
| 10:45 – 11:15 | Coffee break | |
| 11:15 – 12:15 | Nanoindentation | Sándor Lipcsei, EPFL |
| 12:15 – 13:30 | Lunch | |
| 13:45 – 17:15 | Lab visits | |
| Friday 05.09.25 | Lecturer | |
| 08:30 – 9:30 | Tribology testing of surfaces | Anna Igual, EPFL |
| 09:45 – 10:45 | Corrosion | Anna Igual, EPFL |
| 10:45 – 11:15 | Coffee break | |
| 11:15 – 12:15 | Scratch | Jiri Nohava, Anton Paar |
| 12:15 – 13:30 | Lunch | |
| 13:45 – 17:15 | Lab visits |
Location
EPFL, Lausanne
Registration / Cost of participation
You can register through this link.
Please note that payment is now required upon registration using the SaferPay platform, which accepts major credit cards, PayPal and Twint. Course fees being paid directly by an EPFL laboratory may be paid by account transfer – please contact Carey Sargent if you are an EPFL student and prefer this method of payment. Tuition, lunches and coffee breaks are included in the fees.
Students from EPFL: CHF 300.-
Students from other institutions: CHF 500.-
All other participants: CHF 1,500.-
ECTS Credits
To be eligible for 1 ECTS credit, participating PhD students must complete a written exam and attend all lectures.
Accommodation
Students should organize their own accommodation. Two attractive options are:
Additional hotels can be found on the web site of Lausanne Tourism.
Contact
Please contact Carey Sargent with any questions.