Stefaan Cottenier has been educated as an experimental physicist and got his PhD in 1997 from the Institute for Nuclear and Radiation Physics (KU Leuven, Belgium) for condensed matter research with hyperfine interaction methods. He kept working there until 2007, gradually evolving from experimental to computational research, taking advantage of the new possibilities offered by general-purpose DFT simulation codes. After a one-year stay at a computational materials engineering group at RWTH Aachen University, he joined in 2008 the Center for Molecular Modeling at Ghent University and is since 2011 affiliated to the Department of Materials Science and Engineering as well. His research mission is to apply methods that have originally been developed in the theoretical condensed matter community to problems that are relevant for materials science, if possible with a link to iron and steel. Stefaan holds the OCAS Endowed Chair in Computational Materials Science. Stefaan has a special interest in the methodology of teaching and the didactics of online teaching, and he uses insights from this field to train new generations of materials scientists in the use of quantum-based simulation tools for solids.
open online courses:
Publications
A1 publications
Published
2026
International Journal of Hydrogen Energy 2026. 201: 152840. IF: 8.3 39/182 [Q1] (IF & ranking 2024)
2025
Critical Reviews in Solid State and Materials Sciences 2025. 50(3): 275 - 295. IF: 8.9 74/164 [Q1] (IF & ranking 2024)
2024
Nature Reviews Physics 2024. 6(1): 45 - 58. IF: 44.8 1/179 [Q1]
2023
Nuclear Instruments and Methods in Physics Research Section B: Beam Interactions with Materials and Atoms 2023. 541: 249 - 252.
Physica B: Condensed Matter 2023. 657: 414757. IF: 2.988 36/69 [Q3]
2022
Scripta Materialia 2022.
Chemical Communications 2022. 58(26): 4223 - 4226.
2021
Journal of Power Sources 2021.
New Journal of Chemistry 2021.
Applied Physics A-Materials Science & Processing 2021.
Chemistry-A European Journal 2021.
Scripta Materialia 2021.
Journal of Physics: Materials 2021.
2020
npj Computational Materials 2020.
Computer Physics Communications 2020.
2019
Physical Review C 2019.
Nuclear Fusion 2019. 59(10): 106029.
Journal of Physical Chemistry Letters 2019. (10): 11.
Journal of Alloys and Compounds 2019.
2018
Icarus 2018.
2017
Scientific Reports 2017.
Physical Review B 2017. 95(7): 075307.
Journal of Materials Science & Technology 2017. 33(7): 751-757.
Surface & Coating Technologies 2017.
Materials Characterization 2017.
Chemistry of Materials 2017. 29(3): 975 - 984.
2016
Physical Review B 2016.
Journal of Physical Chemistry C 2016. 120(40): 23111-23120.
Computer Physics Communications 2016.
Radiochimica Acta 2016. 104(11): 757-767.
Computational Materials Science 2016. 117: 390 - 396.
Journal of Magnetism and Magnetic Materials 2016.
Journal of Nuclear Materials 2016. 472: 35 - 42.
Science 2016. 351(6280): aad3000. IF: 56.9 2/73 [Q1] (IF & ranking 2022)
ACS Nano 2016. 10(1): 1462-1474. IF: 17.1 12/178 [Q1]
2015
Journal of the American Chemical Society 2015. 137(7): 2495 - 2505.
Journal of Nuclear Materials 2015. 458: 288 - 295.
2014
Journal of Materials Chemistry A 2014. 2(3): 13723 - 13737. IF: 7.443 5/89 [Q1]
Journal of Nuclear Materials 2014. 450(1-3): 287 - 291. IF: 1.865 2/34 [Q1]
Journal of Physical Chemistry C 2014. 118(10): 5317 - 5327. IF: 4.772 32/260 [Q1]
Physical Review B 2014. 89(1): 014304. IF: 3.736 14/67 [Q1]
Critical Reviews in Solid State and Materials Sciences 2014. 39(1): 1 - 24. IF: 6.450 24/260 [Q1]
Journal of the American Ceramic Society 2014. 97(1): 258 - 266. IF: 2.610 3/26 [Q1]
2013
CrystEngComm 2013. 15(48): 10440 - 10444. IF: 3.858 4/23 [Q1]
Physical Review Letters 2013. 111(7): 075501.
Physical Review B 2013. 87(17): 174101.
2012
Applied Physics Letters 2012. 101(26): 261904.
Applied Surface Science 2012. 260: 32 - 35.
Physical Chemistry Chemical Physics 2012. 2012(14): 11308-11317.
Physical Review Letters 2012. 108(16): 162501.
Invited talks [Honorary lectureships, keynotes, plenary talks and invited talks]
Invited talks
2022
19th International Conference on Density Functional Theory and its Applications (DFT2022), Brussels, BE, 28/08/2022 - 02/09/2022
2018
Si forum 2018, Okayama, JP, 19/11/2018
MSNANO-18, Faisalabad, PK, 19/02/2018 - 20/02/2018
2017
Abidev 2017, Fréjus, FR, 09/05/2017 - 12/05/2017
2016
EMN Meeting 2016 on Computation and Theory, Las Vegas, US, 10/10/2016 - 14/10/2016
ViCoM Young Researchers Meeting 2016, Vienna, AT, 22/09/2016 - 23/09/2016
2016 TMS Annual Meeting & Exhibition, Nashville, US, 14/02/2016 - 18/02/2016
2015
Future Technologies in Automated Simulations - CECAM, Lausanne, CH, 08/06/2015 - 10/06/2015
Abidev2015, Liège, BE, 28/04/2015 - 30/04/2015
2014
SEARCH/MAXIMA 2014 International Workshop, Karlsruhe, DE, 03/10/2014
The future of transparent conducting oxides, Hasselt, BE, 26/08/2014
21st WIEN2k workshop, Nantes, FR, 02/07/2014 - 05/07/2014
21st WIEN2k workshop, Nantes, FR, 02/07/2014 - 05/07/2014
PSI-seminar, Villigen, CH, 09/05/2014
International workshop on computational physics and materials science ("Total energy and force methods"), Lausanne, CH, 09/01/2014 - 11/01/2014
CFCAM workshop 'Pseudopotentials and PAW atomic data: beyond a "black art"?', Paris, FR, 28/01/2014 - 29/01/2014
CFCAM workshop 'Pseudopotentials and PAW atomic data: beyond a "black art"?', Paris, FR, 28/01/2014 - 29/01/2014
2013
NIST Workshop on Atomistic Simulations for Industrial Needs, Gaithersburg, US, 13/08/2013 - 14/08/2013
International Workshop on High-throughput Materials Development, Ghent, BE, 11/06/2013 - 12/06/2013
2012
OCAS PhD Day 2012, Ghent, BE, 06/11/2012
MRS Fall Meeting, Boston, US, 25/11/2012 - 30/11/2012
17th ETSF Workshop on Electronic Excitations, Coimbra, PT, 02/10/2012 - 05/10/2012
19th wien2k Workshop, Shinjuku, JP, 03/09/2012 - 07/09/2012
19th wien2k Workshop, Shinjuku, JP, 03/09/2012 - 07/09/2012
HFI/NQI 2012 International Conference, Tongzhou Qu, CN, 10/09/2012 - 14/09/2012
CECAM Workshop on Validation and Verification in Electronic-Structure calculations: state of the art and perspectives, Lausanne, CH, 05/09/2012 - 07/09/2012
School on "Functional Properties at the Atomic Scale", Vaalbeek, BE, 21/05/2012 - 25/05/2012
2011
4th Workshop on novel methods for electronic structure calculations, and 1st southamerican congress on materials, La Plata, AR, 02/11/2011 - 04/11/2011
Seminar at the Zernike Institute for Advanced Materials, Groningen, NL, 14/01/2011
2010
Erasmus Intensive Program on 'Engineering and characterization of nanostructures by photon, ion beam and nuclear methods', Leuven, BE, 25/04/2010 - 04/05/2010
2009
Seminar at the Leibniz Institute for Solid State and Materials Research, Dresden, DE, 21/09/2009
16th WIEN2k workshop, Penn State University, State College, US, 23/06/2009 - 26/06/2009
Seminar at the Laboratoire de Chimie du Solide Minéral, Nancy, FR, 04/06/2009
Talks
2026
H2Science Conference 2026, Trondheim, NO, 03/06/2026 - 04/06/2026
European PhD Hydrogen Conference (EpHyC 2026), Trondheim, NO, 01/06/2026 - 03/06/2026
European Hydrogen Energy Conference (EHEC2026), Sevilla, ES, 11/03/2026 - 13/03/2026
2025
5th International Conference on Metals and Hydrogen (SteelyHydrogen), Ghent, BE, 14/10/2025 - 16/10/2025
1st Conference on Hydrogen in Materials Science and Engineering (H2MSE), Siegburg, DE, 11/02/2025 - 13/02/2025
2018
34th winter school in theoretical chemistry: Machine Learning in Theoretical Chemistry, Helsinki, FI, 10/12/2018 - 13/12/2018
Okayama University seminar, Okayama, JP, 22/11/2018
ML4MS 2018 Conference, Espoo, FI, 03/05/2018 - 04/05/2018
AHPC18, Linz, AT, 19/02/2018 - 21/02/2018
2016
ICAMM 2016, Rennes, FR, 05/09/2016 - 07/09/2016
EMRS Spring Meeting 2016, Lille, FR, 02/05/2016 - 06/05/2016
2019 MRS (Materials Research Society) Spring Meeting & Exhibit, Phoenix, US, 28/03/2016 - 02/04/2016
2015
8th International Workshop on Modeling in Crystal Growth (IWMCG-8), Spa, BE, 15/11/2015 - 18/11/2015
Psi-k 2015, Donostia-San Sebastián, ES, 07/09/2015 - 10/09/2015
39th International Conference and exposition on Advanced Ceramics and Composites, Daytona Beach, US, 25/01/2015 - 30/01/2015
Euro-TMCS I, Granada, ES, 28/01/2015 - 30/01/2015
2014
17th International Conference on Hyperfine Interactions and 21th International Symposium on Nuclear Quadrupole Interactions (HFI/NQI 2014), Canberra, AU, 21/09/2014 - 26/09/2014
E-MRS 2014 Spring Meeting, Lille, FR, 26/05/2014 - 30/05/2014
E-MRS 2014 Spring Meeting, Lille, FR, 26/05/2014 - 30/05/2014
E-MRS 2014 Spring Meeting, Lille, FR, 26/05/2014 - 30/05/2014
2013
14th UGent FEA PhD Symposium , Ghent, BE, 06/12/2013
Belgian Physical Society Meeting, Louvain-la-Neuve, BE, 22/05/2013
Semi-annual SEARCH progress meeting, Pula, IT, 06/05/2013 - 08/05/2013
DPG Spring Meeting, Regensburg, DE, 11/03/2013 - 15/03/2013
2012
11th International Workshop on Spallation Materials Technology, Ghent, BE, 05/11/2012 - 09/11/2012
17th ETSF Workshop on Electronic Excitations, Coimbra, PT, 02/10/2012 - 05/10/2012
ICTAC-14, Koudekerke/Vlissingen, NL, 26/06/2012 - 30/06/2012
ICAMM 2012 & VASP Workshop, Nantes, FR, 11/06/2012 - 16/06/2012
Ab initio Description of Iron and Steel: Thermodynamics and Kinetics (ADIS 2012), Tegernsee, DE, 29/04/2012 - 04/05/2012
2011
E-MRS 2011 Fall Meeting, Warsaw, PL, 19/09/2011 - 23/09/2011
DN-NSM 2011 international workshop, Poitiers, FR, 23/06/2011 - 25/06/2011
Annual meeting of the Belgian Ceramic Society 2011 (BCerS 2011), Mons, BE, 07/02/2011
2010
3rd Joint International Conference on Hyperfine Interactions and International Symposium on Nuclear Quadrupole Interactions, Geneva, CH, 13/09/2010 - 17/09/2010
17th WIEN2k workshop, Nantes, FR, 05/07/2010 - 07/07/2010
International Conference on Advanced Materials Modeling (ICAMM 2010), Nantes, FR, 08/07/2010 - 10/07/2010
2009
Workshop: 'Understanding inorganic materials with the help of NMR spectroscopy and electronic calculations', Dresden, DE, 24/03/2009 - 25/03/2009
Posters
2025
FEARS 2025, Ghent, BE, 13/10/2025
Quantum Chemistry of Excited States QCES-2025, Cluj-Napoca, RO, 29/09/2025 - 03/10/2025
Heavy Metal Summer School 2025, Mol, BE, 16/06/2025 - 20/06/2025
ASTM Conference on Hydrogen in Materials, La Rochelle, FR, 03/06/2025 - 06/06/2025
2018
34th winter school in theoretical chemistry: Machine Learning in Theoretical Chemistry, Helsinki, FI, 10/12/2018 - 13/12/2018
QCB13, Brussels, BE, 30/01/2018
2017
EUROMAT 2017, Thessaloniki, GR, 17/09/2017 - 22/09/2017
International Workshop on Machine Learning for Materials Science, Espoo, FI, 08/03/2017 - 09/03/2017
2016
ADIS 2016, Tegernsee, DE, 03/10/2016 - 07/10/2016
ADIS 2016, Tegernsee, DE, 03/10/2016 - 07/10/2016
Annual IAP Meeting IAP-PAI P7/05, Liège, BE, 12/09/2016
General Scientific Meeting 2016 of the Belgian Physical Society, Ghent, BE, 18/05/2016
EMRS Spring Meeting 2016, Lille, FR, 02/05/2016 - 06/05/2016
2015
VSC user day 2015, Antwerp, BE, 30/11/2015
Psi-k 2015, Donostia-San Sebastián, ES, 07/09/2015 - 10/09/2015
CECAM/Psi-k Research Conference: Frontiers of first-principles simulations: materials design and discovery, Berlin, DE, 01/02/2015 - 05/02/2015
CECAM/Psi-k Research Conference: Frontiers of first-principles simulations: materials design and discovery, Berlin, DE, 01/02/2015 - 05/02/2015
Euro-TMCS I, Granada, ES, 28/01/2015 - 30/01/2015
2014
FEA Research Symposium 2014, Ghent, BE, 05/12/2014
Ab Initio Description of Iron and Steel 2014, Ringberg, DE, 26/10/2014 - 31/10/2014
17th International Conference on Hyperfine Interactions and 21th International Symposium on Nuclear Quadrupole Interactions (HFI/NQI 2014), Canberra, AU, 21/09/2014 - 26/09/2014
17th International Conference on Hyperfine Interactions and 21th International Symposium on Nuclear Quadrupole Interactions (HFI/NQI 2014), Canberra, AU, 21/09/2014 - 26/09/2014
European Planetary Science Congress, Cascais, PT, 07/09/2014 - 12/09/2014
11th Quantum Chemistry in Belgium Meeting, Namur, BE, 23/01/2014
2013
14th UGent FEA PhD Symposium , Ghent, BE, 06/12/2013
14th UGent FEA PhD Symposium , Ghent, BE, 06/12/2013
15th International Conference on Density Functional Theory and its Applications, Durham, GB, 09/09/2013 - 13/09/2013
20th Wien2k Workshop, Penn State University, State College, US, 12/08/2013 - 15/08/2013
EMRS Spring Meeting 2013, Strasbourg, FR, 27/05/2013 - 31/05/2013
Colloquium Physics and the Energy Challenge, Brussels, BE, 20/04/2013
2012
CECAM - New insights on metals under extreme conditions, Paris, FR, 13/12/2012 - 15/12/2012
19th wien2k Workshop, Shinjuku, JP, 03/09/2012 - 07/09/2012
19th wien2k Workshop, Shinjuku, JP, 03/09/2012 - 07/09/2012
19th wien2k Workshop, Shinjuku, JP, 03/09/2012 - 07/09/2012
ICAMM 2012 & VASP Workshop, Nantes, FR, 11/06/2012 - 16/06/2012
BPS 2012, Brussels, BE, 30/05/2012
DFTM2012, Ghent, BE, 01/04/2012 - 06/04/2012
NCCC XIII, Noordwijkerhout, NL, 05/03/2012 - 07/03/2012
QCB10, Brussels, BE, 10/02/2012
MolSim 2012, Amsterdam, NL, 09/01/2012 - 20/01/2012
2011
Umicore Scientific Awards Ceremony 2011, Brussels, BE, 31/03/2011 - 31/03/2011
2010
FirW PhD symposium 2010, Ghent, BE, 01/12/2010
ie-prijzen 2010, Brussels, BE, 25/11/2010 - 25/11/2010
Ab initio modelling of iron and steel (ADIS) 2010, 468th Wilhelm und Else Heraeus-Seminar, Tegernsee, DE, 24/10/2010 - 29/10/2010
3rd Joint International Conference on Hyperfine Interactions and International Symposium on Nuclear Quadrupole Interactions, Geneva, CH, 13/09/2010 - 17/09/2010
Psi-k Conference 2010, Berlin, DE, 12/09/2010 - 16/09/2010
Psi-k Conference 2010, Berlin, DE, 12/09/2010 - 16/09/2010
High Resolution Molecular Spectroscopy 2009, Castellamare di Stabia, IT, 31/08/2010 - 04/09/2010
CAMD Summer School 2010, Lyngby, DK, 14/08/2010 - 20/08/2010
CAMD Summer School 2010, Lyngby, DK, 14/08/2010 - 20/08/2010