Interview with Dr. Shuyan Zhang—Winner of the Alloys Travel Award

We are extremely honored to announce that Dr. Shuyan Zhang has been awarded the 2026 Conference Travel Award by Alloys (ISSN: 2674-063X)!

This Travel Award will support Dr. Shuyan Zhang to attend the 7th China Symposium on Amorphous Physics and Materials to be held in China in 2026. He will present his latest research findings and engage in in-depth exchanges and cooperation with domestic and international peers.

Name: Dr. Shuyan Zhang
Affiliation: Hangzhou Institute of National Extremely-Weak Magnetic Field Infrastructure, China
Research interests: Composition design and optimization, microstructure control, and multi-performance synergy improvement of novel disordered alloys (including medium-/high-entropy alloys, amorphous and nanocrystalline alloys, etc.)

We interviewed Dr. Shuyan Zhang about his current research and future directions.

1. Could you briefly introduce your research field? And what motivated you to devote yourself to this research area?
My research interests mainly lie in developing new disordered alloys that can accommodate multiple performance characteristics in complex marine environments, particularly in the design and performance study of medium-/high-entropy alloys and amorphous alloys. This is because I graduated from the Ocean College of Zhejiang University with a doctoral degree; after graduation, I conducted postdoctoral research at Beihang University. Out of my love for the ocean, I firmly chose this research field.

2. How has winning this award affected your career? What are your future plans?
Receiving the Travel Award from the Alloys journal has had numerous positive impacts on me, mainly manifested in the following three aspects:

Academic recognition and confidence boost: By the end of 2025, I will complete my postdoctoral research at Beihang University. During this crucial transitional period this year, the awards from major international journals are a strong endorsement of my previous research work (particularly in alloy design, microstructure characterization, and performance optimization). This not only proves the value of the research direction I chose but also greatly enhances my confidence in independently conducting cutting-edge explorations. It tells me that my work is attracting the attention of my peers, which is the most precious psychological construction for young scholars.
Expand international perspective and cooperation network: The primary function of the Travel Award is to fund my participation in top-level academic conferences in the field (such as the 7th National Conference on Amorphous Physics and Materials in 2026). This is not merely “going to the conference”, but rather “learning” and “communicating”. I plan to utilize this fund to listen to the latest academic presentations by top scholars in the field, with particular focus on high-entropy alloys, amorphous alloys, and the cutting-edge developments in alloy computational simulation. More importantly, I hope to take this opportunity to establish face-to-face connections with the research teams I am interested in, laying the foundation for further in-depth research.
Enhancing personal academic visibility: As an award winner, this is already a remarkable label. It helps me stand out at conferences, attracting more peers to listen to my presentation, thereby more effectively promoting my current research results on multi-component amorphous alloys. This is highly beneficial for building an academic reputation and accumulating citations.

3. Did you encounter any difficulties during your research process, and how did you overcome them? What do you think is the secret to a happy research life?
Of course, I did. I would like to sincerely thank my family for their consistent and unwavering support throughout my academic journey. I am also deeply grateful to my mentor for his continuous guidance and cultivation, which have had a crucial impact on my research work.
When facing difficulties, I would seek help from my friends, and I am also grateful for their selfless assistance. The secret to a happy research life, in my opinion, is to keep a calm mindset and strive to do the best. Believe that hard work will be rewarded, and efforts will definitely pay off.

4. Which research topics do you think will receive particular attention from the research community in the coming years?
As for myself, my research field is high-entropy and amorphous alloys. Personally, I believe that multi-component metallic materials can currently achieve a balance of many excellent physical, chemical, and mechanical properties. Therefore, I think the research direction of multi-component alloys will definitely have great potential in the future.

5. Do you have any other suggestions on how the Alloys journal can further support young researchers and the academic community?
I believe that the Alloys journal can enhance its support for young researchers and the broader academic community through the following measures:

Establish the “Young Editor” or “Early-Career Editor” program: Invite newly appointed PIs (such as scholars who have received a Travel Award a few years ago) to join the Editorial Board to participate in the initial manuscript screening and the organization of Special Issues. This not only reduces the burden on senior editors but also enables young scholars to accumulate experience in the core link of academic publishing and enhance their sense of belonging to the journal.
Regularly hold “Online Symposium for Young Scholars”: Leveraging MDPI's powerful online publishing platform, we invite previous Travel Award winners and outstanding young authors to organize small-scale, high-frequency online thematic discussions. The topics can be more focused, such as “Structural Characterization and Performance Enhancement of High-Entropy Alloys” and “Optimization of Heat Treatment Processes for Additive Manufacturing Alloys”, allowing young colleagues worldwide to have in-depth exchanges.
Establish a “Career Development” column or blog: On the journal's official website or social media platforms, invite experienced scholars or previous award winners to share their experiences in career planning, fund application, laboratory establishment, etc. Such soft content is highly attractive to doctoral students and postdoctoral fellows who are in a confused state.

6. What are your thoughts on the open access (OA) publishing model?
In my opinion, the greatest contribution of the OA model lies in its complete dismantling of the barriers to academic information, perfectly aligning with the collaborative spirit of modern scientific research. Specifically, it significantly enhances the visibility and influence of research: for young scholars like me, what we most desire is that our work is seen, discussed, and cited. Under the traditional subscription model, my papers might be locked behind the paywalls of university libraries, and many colleagues (especially those in the industrial sector) would not be able to access them. However, the OA model means that as long as the internet is accessible, anyone can instantly and freely read my research results. This not only increases the downloads and citations of the papers but also accelerates the process of applying and verifying scientific discoveries. Moreover, in the field of metal materials, many studies ultimately serve the needs of public welfare. Publishing research funded by public fund agencies through OA precisely embodies the principle of “taking from the people and using for the people”. OA enables the research results funded by taxpayers’ money to truly return to the public domain.