Yuhan Sun is a doctoral researcher from Process Metallurgy Unit, University of Oulu. Her project HELIOS is funded by Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions and her work in this project as DC9 focuses on the advanced characterization of hydrogen plasma smelting reduction by optical emission spectroscopy (OES) and image analysis.
What is your earliest childhood memory?
Sitting and playing in our old yard one summer and waiting for some sweet sparkling water and ice cream.
What made you want to be a scientist?
My grandfather was a civil engineer, when I was a little kid, he always took me to his work place and I watched him to do all the structural design on a huge piece of paper, which fascinated me a lot. I was also interested in physics, chemistry and maths under his influence. That’s why for my bachelor degree I chose material science as my major and have been doing research in the materials-related field since then.
What book, film, music or TV series changed you?
The Back to the Future trilogy are always some of my favourite films. I love watching time travelling sci-fi films. It gives me the vibe of how highly advanced technology changes our lives and also a sense of fate/destiny how future lives closely tied with individual personality. These kinds of films give me more hope to see how future would be in myself and how my fate would be at that moment.
If you weren’t a scientist, what other job could you have chosen?
I would like to be in the film industry, being a film reviewer or a behind-the-scenes producer. I love watching films and TV series, which give me a second life and view to observe this world and always put me in roles whose lives I never have a chance to experience. It would be super amazing and cool to work with the movies and learn how the whole process works in the real film industry.
If you could live and work anywhere in the world, where would that be?
After I arrived in Oulu Finland last December and had been living here for more than half year, I could tell this is a dreamy place to live my life. This quiet and peaceful place always calms me down and allows me to be myself all the time
Who is the scientist that you admire the most?
Marie Curie is the scientist I admire the most. This world needs more and more female scientists and women power in technology. Her story keeps inspring all the grils who have the dream to become a scientist, including me. I am so proud to be in one of the project’s funded by Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions, and dedicate my work to saving the climate as well.
Do you believe we will avoid the catastrophe of climate change?
I absolutely believe we will avoid the catastrophe of climate change. This is also the final goal of our HELIOS project. Researchers and scientists from all over the world and all the fields are working together to save our Mother Earth. The HELIOS project is proud to be part of it to contribute to climate neutrality.
Which of your scientific achievements is the most satisfying?
It’s too early to talk about the scientific achievements at this early stage of research. The most satisfying moments since I started my work in metallurgy is every time we start the hydrogen plasma experiments, seeing the plasma light ignited by the pin around the arc through the window on the reactor, it is like magic moment.
What one thing would make your life better?
Learn how to Photoshop pictures and edit videos, I have so many moments in my life I would like to keep a memory of.
If you could live at a different time in history, and be present at a scientific discovery, when would that be?
It would be the time during the second world war when Alan Turing led the work to break the German Navy’s Enigma cipher machine at the British intelligence base, which helped to shorten the war in Europe by 4 years.
What is the best piece of advice you have received?
It is what it is.
When are you happiest?
Staying at home with my family in Oulu, Finland. Watching the tv series The Office.
SIM² KU Leuven is the KU Leuven Institute for Sustainable Metals and Minerals (SIM² in short). SIM² is one of the official KU Leuven Institutes that were endorsed by the KU Leuven Academic Council. SIM² has more than 370 members, coming from a wide range of (interdisciplinary) research groups and departments at KU Leuven. SIM²’s missions is “to develop, organise & implement problem-driven, science-deep research & future-oriented education, contributing to the environmentally friendly production & recycling of metals, minerals & engineered materials, supporting (…) a climate-friendly, circular-economy”.
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