Implants and drinking water - new challenges for the newly appointed professor
04 Apr 2017
When Nicolaie Markocsan moved from Romania to Trollhättan in March 13, 2003, he came for a four month research assignment at University West. After exactly fourteen years, he was appointed as Professor in Production Technology with specialization in Thermal Spraying.
Nicolaie Markocsan tells us how he feels about the professor title and about new exciting research projects where thermal spraying can be useful in unexpected fields.
How do you feel about the professor title?
From my point of view, it's a natural step forward within my professional activity, after many years of learning and gathering knowledge. The professor title is the highest academic rank, so it has been my goal and my dream for a long time. My mother is very proud and happy. She has always believed in me.
What does this appointment mean to you?
It means that I have a larger responsibility and new challenges where I can develop my research even more. It's really great to have this possibility. The professor title doesn't make me contented; it rather fills me with energy to continue with new projects.
Does the professor title change your work?
My ambition is to head for bigger research projects and to work with broader networks. It's also my aim to do research on a deeper level. Right now I'm looking at several new projects that I'm aiming to apply funding for in the near future.
What are your next research projects?
In Research Team Production Technology West, we have done a lot of research about surface coating where thermal spraying is used for thermal protection of components used in gas turbines and aircraft engines. Now, I want to expand this field of interest to other exciting and challenging areas such as coatings for biomedical applications. Coatings have been an attractive and effective way of improving the life-time and functionalities of the implants and hence to further enhance their accessibility for a larger class of patients.
Another interesting field of research is how thermal spraying can used for producing surfaces with so called photocatalytic activity. It's a simple and cheap technique that for example can clean polluted water in parts of the world where drinking water is in short supply.
What's the most important issue in your field of research?
Our greatest challenge is always timing. Research needs to be done when it's most useful to the society. We also need to improve our skills to communicate our results in an easy and accessible way so that our research results are widely spread.
Text: Christina Axelson
