Interview with Dr. João Pedro Oliveira—Winner of Metals 2023 Young Investigator Award

We are pleased to announce that the winner of the Metals 2023 Young Investigator Award—Dr. João Pedro Oliveira.

Dr. João Pedro Oliveira is an assistant professor at the Department of Materials Science at Universidade NOVA de Lisboa, Caparica, Portugal. Dr. Oliveira’s research interests focus on using advanced manufacturing technologies (welding and additive manufacturing) and advanced characterization techniques (such as SEM, TEM, and synchrotron X-ray diffraction) to link the microstructural characteristics of processed metals with their functional and thermomechanical behavior. Dr. Oliveira received his Ph.D. in 2016 and has an outstanding publication record. The impact of his research group can be measured by the number and scholarly impact of their publications, as reflected by a Scopus H-index of 43. He is regarded as an influential and promising contributor to the field of materials science and engineering. As a single applicant, Dr. Oliveira was also able to attract significant funding for research. Moreover, he is the principal investigator and coordinator of the ongoing European project on wire and arc additive manufacturing that has received EUR 1.7 million in funding. This is an outstanding achievement in today’s competitive environment.

Please join us in congratulating Dr. João Pedro Oliveira for his outstanding achievements.

We would like to thank the award committee for their excellent work in the difficult task of selecting a winner from such a large number of excellent candidates. We would also like to thank all the nominees from various fields for their participation. We will continue to reward young scientists with the Young Investigator Award and wish them every success in their careers.

The following is a short Q&A with Dr. João Pedro Oliveira:

1. Could you briefly introduce yourself to our readers?

My name is João Pedro Oliveira, and I am currently working as an assistant professor of materials science at Universidade NOVA de Lisboa, Portugal. I completed my Ph.D. on laser welding of shape memory alloys at NOVA in 2016 with Professor Braz Fernandes and Professor Rosa Miranda, where I spent a part of my time at the University of Waterloo, Canada, with Professor Norman Zhou. Then I moved to Ohio State University, USA, to work with Professor Antonio Ramirez as a postdoctoral researcher. Finally, I moved back to NOVA to be a faculty member there.

In my free time, I enjoy running a lot, especially in the mountains, and spending time with my family.

2. What is your current research and why did you choose this research field?

I started conducting research on the welding of shape memory alloys because I won a scholarship. I was immediately hooked because of the unusual properties of these materials. I then proceeded to a Ph.D. on this topic and was able to make my own path on evaluating the weldability and processability of novel shape memory alloys. My research interests in terms of materials selection have always been based on how interesting (or weird) the materials are. That is why my focus is on shape memory and high entropy alloys, because the alloy classes are so different from conventional engineering alloys. I am also very fond of using synchrotron radiation as a unique way to probe the microstructure and properties of my materials, so synchrotron-related data are often found in my work.

The field of welding and additive manufacturing appears because I like to be involved in a lab and try some processing myself when I have some spare time.

3. Have you ever encountered any difficulties while conducting research? How did you overcome them?

As a Ph.D. student, I did not have all the facilities for both processing and advanced characterization that I required to perform in-depth work. I overcame this by looking for potential collaborations. This worked out very well and some of these collaborators are now even my personal friends. There were times during my Ph.D. where I would be very frustrated because my first paper was not approved or accepted by editors. I was 2 years into my Ph.D. and had not published any papers. That was tough. However, a little over a year after my Ph.D. defense, I had by then published more than 10 papers, several of which were in leading journals. So, the takeaway is that publishing takes time. I had spent a lot of time trying to perfect my writing and communication skills and this helped me a lot in getting published. Now, publishing a large number of papers is no longer a standard. The quality of the papers published is indeed the key factor by which Ph.D. students should be evaluated on.

That being said, sometimes it is better to have fewer papers but more in-depth discussions, rather than breaking a potential good work into several low impact ones.

4. What qualities do you think young scientists need?

Ph.D. students must be curious. Why does "this" work and how can we explain "this" that we are observing? Can we formulate some hypothesis and validate it? If yes, can we transmit this information to others in a clear and easy way?

Ph.D. students should also try to find their own path. Sometimes this may take more support from their supervisor, and sometimes this is not really needed. A healthy and open student–supervisor relationship is also fundamental. Sometimes, Ph.D. students struggle in silence, especially if they are away from home, and some words of comfort or an opportunity to vent can make the difference between good or bad mental health.

More importantly, from time to time, stop and enjoy the ride. This will likely be the time in your life where you can follow your research (or other) interests in a low-pressure environment.

5. Can you briefly describe the key to a happy laboratory life?

I think my lab is quite happy. We are a multicultural group (students from Portugal, Brazil, China, and India) and I make sure that they work together whenever suitable. This allows them to gain more knowledge of adjacent topics that may be useful for them. I also try to have them collaborate with other labs and even visit them. Aside from giving them exposure to other work environments, it also shows them that no matter where, there are always good and bad factors in a research environment.

6. As the winner of this award, is there something you want to express, or someone to thank most?

This award is only possible because research is a team effort in most cases. So, I have to thank my students and colleagues for putting in the time when we are doing experimental work and writing papers. Special acknowledgements to my wife Susana for supporting me as well.