On March 31, 2026, Viktor Zaverkin was appointed Junior Professor at Saarland University. He will represent research and teaching in this field at the Faculty of Mathematics and Computer Science. His joint appointment by Saarland University, the INM – Leibniz Institute for New Materials, and the DFKI – German Research Center for Artificial Intelligence is set to create new synergies on campus, bringing materials science, computer science, and artificial intelligence closer together.
Dr. Zaverkin develops machine learning methods aimed at describing materials and molecules on the computer more precisely than ever before. A key focus of his work is on so-called Machine-Learned Interatomic Potentials (MLIP). These models combine the efficiency of classical simulations with the accuracy of quantum mechanical calculations and are considered a key technology for the materials design of the future.
Based on this approach, materials can be simulated at the atomic scale—over significantly larger sizes and longer timescales than previously possible. This enables researchers to investigate realistic questions, such as the development of new materials or the understanding of atomic processes, without the need for complex experiments.
Through his work, Zaverkin, who will lead a new Data-Driven Materials Design research group at INM in collaboration with DFKI, applies modern AI methods directly to materials research, accelerating the development of innovative materials. For the Saarbrücken campus, this represents another step toward a more closely networked and interdisciplinary research landscape.
Short Biography
Dr. Viktor Zaverkin was born in Ukraine and has been living in Germany since 2014. He studied Materials Science at the University of Stuttgart, earning his Master’s degree in 2019 and his PhD in 2022. He subsequently conducted postdoctoral research at the University of Stuttgart. From 2023, he worked first as a visiting scientist and later, until March 2026, as a researcher at NEC Laboratories Europe.