Justas Zalieckas

Dr. Justas Zalieckas is originally from Lithuania and studied experimental particle physics at UiB followed by a PhD in the same field at UiB and CERN in Switzerland. After a researcher position, he started as a post doc in the nanotechnology group at UiB and was given the opportunity to pursue his interests in novel materials, build his own instrumentation and develop ideas of ​​synthesizing diamond coatings on various surfaces at low temperatures. The year 2022 was a good year for Zalieckas who was also awarded a prestigious ERC Starting Grant at about the same time as he was informed that he would win a TMS Starting Grant from the Trond Mohn Foundation. Zalieckas has therefore been given 6 years to carry out his TMS Starting Grant, which will focus more on applications for the new technology: Diamond is considered an ideal coating for medical implants as the body tolerates it better than the materials used today. Until now, it was only possible to use the diamond coating on smaller implants for example in dental practice, while it has not yet been possible to use it on, for example, hip prostheses. The techniques that Justas Zalieckas will develop during the project period hold therefore many possibilities.