Alumni Experiences

Dhiraj Gokuladas (graduated in 2023)

(PhD-Student at TU Bergakademie Freiberg)

Dhiraj Gokuladas "The well-structured materials science curriculum with emphasis on programming and excellent teacher-student ratio was the reason for me to apply for the computational materials science (CMS) at TU Bergakademie Freiberg (TUBAF) after my bachelors in mechanical engineering. 

In CMS course, practical training on different programming languages is given in the first semester itself. This was very beneficial in ensuring that all students have same knowledge level before proceeding to more specialized topics in the upcoming semesters for example like finite element methods and machine learning. The personal programming project (PPP) in the third semester further paved the way for strengthening my programming skills. The topic for the PPP could also be selected by the student itself and I find it very useful as it helps in improving the knowledge of student in a materials science topic that the student is more interested in. After my 3rd semester, I worked as a student research assistant (HiWi) at the university in the field of machine learning which in turn have helped me secure an internship in an industry as well as in getting a research opportunity at TUBAF as a PhD student after my masters in CMS. 

Sometimes the CMS course could be felt as little bit hectic, but it is worth putting your efforts into it as you could have good opportunities in industries as well as in academic research after the CMS course. 

About the university, TUBAF is a university with excellent infrastructure facilities located in Freiberg. As a person who studied and currently living in Freiberg, I would say that Freiberg is a very beautiful, peaceful, and small city with good public transport connectivity with neighboring bigger cites. Over these years, I have always enjoyed my stay in Freiberg."  

Dhiraj Gokuladas
TU Bergakademie Freiberg
Email: dhirajgokuladasatgmail [dot] com 

Vimal Muthusamy (graduated in 2022)

Vimal Muthusamy"Being a mechanical engineer and out of sheer interest to learn science at the fundamental scale, I chose the Computational Materials Science Master's program at TU Bergakademie Freiberg. The course is well designed and structured such that even students from an engineering background like me can easily understand the atomistic phenomena in material science and are able to connect material behaviour at different length scales. The small number of students in this course was particularly advantageous to have direct guidance from the lecturers and to have an extensive technical discussion with them and also gives flexibility to use the IT-infrastructure at the institute at any time. As the course is more research focused, I had the opportunity to work as a HiWi from the 2nd semester and it immensely helped me to learn state-of-the-art simulation and post processing techniques like molecular dynamics and machine learning in the materials science field which in turn was useful to apply them to my master thesis work. The professors and lecturers were particularly very supportive to get a big picture on the material mechanics as well as to build an intuitive understanding on the fundamental concepts. Though I’m not from a programming background, the personal programming project in the 3rd semester has greatly improved my programming proficiency and confidence towards programming, which is still very useful in my day to day work. The intensive CMS program prepared me very well for both academic research and as an industry ready graduate. In the end, I feel very proud and happy to be a graduate of the CMS program and I would like to thank all my professors and supervisors for sharing their wisdom and helping me have a better career path."

Vimal Muthusamy,
Segula Technologies GmbH
Rüsselsheim am Main, Germany
Email: vimal [dot] muthusamy6atgmail [dot] com

Vikas Diddige (graduated in 2021)

(PhD-Student at TU Bergakademie Freiberg)

Mr. Vikas Diddige"Having prior expertise in working with FEM simulation tools for industrial applications, I chose Computational Material Sciences firstly for its curriculum. The curriculum involves developing your predictive simulation tools focused mainly on material modeling. The curriculum is designed in a way that it gave me the freedom to experiment with my strengths. Secondly, prior knowledge of programming is not a prerequisite. And finally, for the charming, peaceful, beautiful Freiberg city. 

With one of the best student-teacher ratios, the CMS course creates a thriving classroom environment, fostering academic success. There are ample opportunities for students to work as a HiWi (research assistant), in various research projects. The years I worked as a HiWi, gave me an insight into the process of working in research and on the subject. This course offers a perfect blend of all the skills needed to work in industry, at an academic level in universities and research institutes, to obtain a Ph.D., or to contribute to research.

University has a well-renowned faculty who are working on ensuring that students are able to fulfill the gap between the practical and theoretical aspects. The faculty of CMS has always kept pace with changing trends in Mechanics and Materials Sciences. The time spent at TUBAF has been rewarding for my career.

Freiberg is a self-sufficient small city where everything is within walking distance. The university is multicultural and gives you great exposure internationally. It has all the sources to entertain yourself as needed and sometimes to escape the hectic CMS course."

Vikas Diddige
TU Bergakademie Freiberg
E:Mail: vikas [dot] diddigeatimfd [dot] tu-freiberg [dot] de 

Prince Henry Serrao (graduated in 2021)

(PhD-Student at Ruhr-University Bochum)

Prince Henry Serrao"My name is Prince Henry Serrao and I pursued Masters in Computational Materials Science. I strongly recommend this course for future students as it is a brilliant combination of micro- and macro- related studies. The course structure is very brilliantly designed which enhances the understanding of multiscale modelling in a step-wise manner. It is one of the very few courses that is slowly and steadily involving Machine Learning related modules as well. This program ensures that you are well groomed for research as well as for industry. It is at this university where you have access to all necessary resources (access to High Performance Computing clusters, powerful computers, different kinds of paid software like Abaqus, Ansys, etc.) without any issues.

Some people might find this city to be very small without much of party life, but it is necessary to understand your main motive to be in Germany. All lectures are arranged in a fashion that you don't waste time traveling from one location to another. Instead, you could use this time to develop your skills. Also, it is important to mention that this city includes everything that you need within walk-able distances (such as supermarkets, banks, post office, etc.).

All the lecturers and Professors involved in this course are very helpful. They are the most knowledgeable people I have encountered in my life and yet they are very humble. The modules are arranged in 'lecture with exercise' fashion which deepens your understanding of the topic. The exams are tough at times, and that actually makes you confident for all your future endeavors.

All in all, I strongly recommend this course in this small, cozy and beautiful (my personal favorite) city Freiberg"

Prince Henry Serrao
Ruhr-University Bochum
E:Mail: prince [dot] serraoatrub [dot] de 

Tharangini Subramanian (graduated in 2020)

Tharangini Subramanian"I am Tharangini Subramanian, an alumnus of TU bergakademie Freiberg from CMS 2017-20 batch. I thoroughly enjoyed my time at TUBAF. I like the way the university blends into the town. I was one of those fortunate people who stayed very close to the building where most of my lectures were. Initial days of getting accustomed to the weather, the new regional groceries and supplies, and cooking schedules amidst lecture schedules were challenging. After settling in, Freiberg posed to be a beautiful home. I am sure many of my friends would agree with me on this.

I am thankful to my professors and lecturers for being available whenever guidance was needed. There is something I looked forward to that most of my friends would criticize me for: the challenging exam paper they set that makes you go back to your notes after the exam.

I liked the way CMS was structured as lectures and tutorials. It gave us a much needed hands-on experience of using programming languages and solving problems associated with the lecture topics. CMS kept me busy and excited day in and day out with its new interdisciplinary dimensions. I got a stronghold in programming by the end of the course. I have always stood out in my workspace for the engineering and programming skills that I bring to them. Overall, it has been an incredible journey for me."

Tharangini Subramanian
Junior Engineer, Offshore Wind Structures,
Kent PLC, Edinburgh, UK
Email: tharangini [dot] subramanianatgmail [dot] com 
LinkedIn: Tharangini Subramanian

Durga Prasanth Dude (graduated in 2020)

(PhD-Student at TU Bergakademie Freiberg)

Durga Prasanth Dude"CMS is a very well-crafted program and has a unique combination of courses in different scales ranging from microstructures to Macro level mechanics in combination with programming, data analysis and simulation techniques. This helps in understanding the material behavior over a wide range and opens the doors to opportunities in multiple fields.

The professors in the department are very helpful, always ready to guide students on the right path and motivate students to face the challenging scientific questions with the right attitude and aptitude. Freiberg is a very small town, easy to commute and the possibility to meet international students from various countries.

University has several research collaborations with many research institutes and companies which paved me the way to find an opportunity to work as an intern and Master Thesis student at Rolls-Royce Deutschland Ltd & Co KG (Aeronautics). There, I worked on a project which uses the software developed at TUBAF. This combination helped me to grow my knowledge exponentially and I finally landed as a Research assistant in the IMFD department of TUBAF. This course is a fantastic starting point for individuals looking for a promising future in scientific computing and multidisciplinary research."

Durga Prasanth Dude
TU Bergakademie Freiberg
Email: durga-prasanth [dot] dude1atimfd [dot] tu-freiberg [dot] de 

Rinh Dinh Pham (graduated in 2020)

(PhD-Student at TU Bergakademie Freiberg)

Rinh Dinh Pham"Sometimes in your life, you had to make decision. It could be wrong at the first place. This happened to me by the time I applied for a Master's Degree. Fortunately, I was enrolled at TU Bergakademie Freiberg. Eventhough it's small university comparing to the others in Germany, it delivers the same education quality as the others or even better. Some of the advantages of TU Bergakademie Freiberg are the low ratio of students per lecturer as well as the high research fund per Professor. Those generate a distinguished studying environment, where students might always be able to discuss with lecturer or even Professor, whenever he or she needs an advise. Furthermore, students might have higher opportunity to gain more experience in their field and financial support during studying time through the so-called HiWi job, which students will directly participate in research by working on small task for the research group at the university. Among other programs at the university, Computational Materials Science (CMS) is well-designed Master's Degree Program, which carried out in english language, combining knowledge between mechanical and material engineering. Further in the course, machine learning is now playing an important role, which adapts to the booming field in every aspects of the world. In my point of view, it is quite easy for CMS's graduates finding their position in the industry as well as in reseach."

Rinh Dinh Pham
TU Bergakademie Freiberg
Email: phamdinh0988atgmail [dot] com 
Email: dinh-rinh [dot] pham1atimfd [dot] tu-freiberg [dot] de 

Praveen Hiremath (graduated in 2016)

(PhD-Student at Lund University)

"The Masters Program in CMS at TUBAF has the goal to provide students with the broad understanding of (multiscale) material modelling methods. The study of material modelling also entails acquiring very good programming skills. The program is very well structured so that students can comprehend the importance of multiscale material modelling and be able to choose a particular time and length scale or bridge the gap between different time and length scales. The experienced TUBAF professors who are researchers as well, assist the students to develop a great deal of skills that are imperative in their future endeavours. After the completion of the course, it is possible to pursue Ph.D. degree leading into research career or land a job based on the modelling method one is skilled in.

Aforementioned career choices, history and tranquillity of Freiberg, great reputation of TUBAF have proved my decision to join CMS right. I have really had a wonderful experience studying here".

Praveen Kumar Hiremath
Lund University
E:Mail: praveenkumar [dot] hiremathatmek [dot] lth [dot] se 

Ala Konrad Hijazi (graduated in 2015)

Ala Konrad Hijazi"Computational Materials Science, in Freiberg, is a combination of Solid Mechanics, Molecular Dynamics and Quantum Mechanics. The most interesting part for me was getting familiar with material defects at different length scales. Besides, one can improve his skills in programming with different languages depending on the topic. By the variety of topics, one can choose to go deep into research, or prepare himself to work in an engineering company."

Guoxiang Zu (graduated in 2015)

Guoxiang Zu"I have a great time here. I encounter good and nice professors and friendly classmates. I gained knowledge and experience of doing research efficiently. The nine square kilometers region gathers a lot of intelligent people, I learned a lot here. Freiberg gives me the courage and confidence to face bigger challenge. Thanks, TU Freiberg! See you in the future!"

Shweta Pandey (graduated in 2014)

Sweta Pandey"CMS is a master's program at TU Freiberg which provides a unique combination of courses and a league of brilliant professors and lecturers for guidance. The combination of subjects ranging from micro-level physics to macro-level mechanics gives the student a detailed insight into each level of multi-scale modelling and in-turn paves the way to pursue one's own interests.

Having completed CMS successfully, I am about to start my career in the automotive industry as an application engineer. The Institute for Mechanics and Fluiddynamics has research collaborations with major players in the automotive industry, research institutes and many more. This gives the student a plethora of opportunities to pursue their interests in research as well as in the industries.

I had the best time as a student at TU Freiberg. With good student-teacher ratios, the students have the opportunity to build good contacts with the professors and other researchers at the university. Freiberg being a quaint old university town, is an amazing place to experience as a student. The international centre of the university is always active and organizes events and trips all year round for international students. Due to these activities organized by the international centre there is a close knit community of international students who remain close even after completing their studies at TU Freiberg".

Kianoosh Taghizadeh Bajgirani (graduated in 2014)

"CMS at TU Bergakademie Freiberg is a well organized masters program, which bridges between different scales in materials modeling. The major objective of CMS is to model multi-scale transitions in order to understand the micro-based behavior of materials on the macro scale. This is achieved by applying various numerical methods to different scales, which are taught and practiced during the CMS course. I strongly believe that CMS is a unique opportunity to gain profound knowledge in multi-scale modeling field as well as to achieve carrier goals for becoming a multidisciplinary researcher. Finally, I would like to mention that the CMS course improved my skills a lot - not only the scientific ones but also my soft skills".

Vivek Naik Adishankara (graduated in 2014)

"This is a course that brings together different approaches taken towards Material Simulations under one roof. These different simulation techniques bring different parties from the industry and academics on the same platform. Each of the simulation approaches has a wide array of applications. When we build bridges between them, as is done in this course, the potential of the simulations is exponentially escalated. Apart from academics, the city has a lot to offer. A nice peaceful delight of a place."

Hardik Kothari (graduated in 2014)

"CMS is a uniquely designed masters program which focuses on the subjects of Mechanics, Physics and Informatics. This multidisciplinary master program allowed me to study subjects from the different fields of science. It helped me understand some of the ongoing research in the field of my interest and gave me an opportunity to contribute a little in the field during my master thesis. Freiberg is really nice university town, which is comparatively cheaper and student friendly. 

As TU Freiberg is a small university with small number of students, it became possible for me to interact with professors directly. CMS equipped me with the unique set of skills which I want to use in my future carrier in the research field."

Hussein Farahani (graduated in 2014)

“I found the TU Freiberg a small, historical university, modernized and full of scientific opportunities for a foreign student. The CMS course is well designed which could upgraded me to the most recent knowledge in computational materials science.”

Hareesh Tummala (graduated in 2013)

"CMS is a well structured Masters program and intended to help students learn and gain hands-on experience in Multiscale modeling of materials. It is only after finishing CMS, one can understand the importance of the different numerical techniques learned during the course. CMS is one of the toughest courses to finish, unless sufficient time is invested. Time to learn, time to gain (knowledge) and time to experience. Freiberg, being a small city and its easy commute, makes it even easier for student to spend time wisely and concentrate on studies."

Srinivasan Mahendran (graduated in 2013)

"The curriculum of the course during the first semester gave me the confidence that I did the right choice. Also the advantage of being enrolled at TUBAF (a small university) which ensures more attention and interaction between students and the professors / staffs of various faculties. It is an unique feature. 

These two years of my study was one of the best period of my life and the potential shown by this course helped me to make my carrier in research."

Md. Masud Alam from Bangladesh (graduated in 2013)

“Concerning the faster development of science and technology, Computational Material Science (CMS) offers versatile ways to accommodate new possibilities to flourish human life at a very easy pace. In my Master studies, I have benefited from the breadth of TU Freiberg's syllabi content that has given me a comprehensive exposure to the core areas of CMS and a strong conceptual understanding of the same. As people are now evaluating the need for more reliable and sophisticated, widely encountered, uppermost precision technology to meet up the diverse necessity around the globe, I found Freiberg an excellent place for earning my Master's degree. The state-of-the-art facilities, distinguished faculty and the stimulating research work in the area of simulation offers a promising environment for budding research enthusiasts.”