What have been, in your opinion, the main challenges and the most enriching aspects of this dual experience?
The main challenge was organizational. Although my colleagues were informed of my commitment to a thesis, my research engineer activity also included participation in other projects, experimental development, as well as training and mentoring students. The work pace was not linear, so it was not possible to establish a strictly balanced distribution between thesis-related activities and those related to my research engineer duties. However, I was able to rely on the supervision of a temporary assistant engineer for three years, which allowed me to delegate some tasks associated with the management of the experimental platform.
A second challenge was scientific. The thesis led me to explore topics and tools that I was not initially familiar with, both in the areas covered and in the methodology to implement and interpret sometimes new or unexpected results.
In terms of contributions, this thesis, conducted over a period of five years, was particularly formative. It allowed me to deepen scientific methods and rigor, expand my knowledge in metallurgy, and develop skills in data analysis and modeling, a field that I was discovering at the time. Regular exchanges with my supervisors were particularly enriching and greatly contributed to structuring my scientific practice.
I also had the opportunity to present my work and interact with the scientific community at four national and international conferences (including one with conference proceedings). Finally, the skills and knowledge acquired in the context of this thesis have found direct applications in other projects carried out in parallel and are now an asset for the continuation of my professional career.
This experience represented a long-term commitment, requiring perseverance and consistency, with a particularly demanding final phase.
