Honorary doctorate for Prof. Frans A. Spaepen
Prof. Frans A. Spaepen has been appointed honorary doctorate of ETH Zurich for his outstanding contribution to the basic understanding of the structure and properties of melts and amorphous materials, and his significant impact on materials science and applied physics.
Following his studies at KU Leuven, Frans Spaepen obtained his doctorate in applied physics at Harvard University in 1975. He became an assistant professor there two years later and was appointed professor in 1983. As an outstanding researcher in materials science, he is a shining example of how a brilliant and creative personality can have a significant impact on a scientific community. He has opened up several fields of research and answered fundamental questions through his pioneering work. This includes the exemplary description of the mechanical properties of amorphous metals, the development of a fundamental understanding of material interfaces and the use of colloids in order to devise models for crystallisation. In addition to work on nanoscale materials and thin metal films, he has also made a significant contribution to the understanding of quasicrystals.