KIT-IPS hosted 14th Annual Meeting of Young Crystal Growers (jDGKK)

On 3 March 2026, 25 young crystal growers gathered in Karlsruhe for the 14th Annual Seminar of the Young Crystal Growers (jDGKK), traditionally held ahead of the German Crystal Growth Conference (DKT). The seminar was hosted by KIT-IPS.

The meeting brought together students, doctoral researchers, and postdoctoral scientists working in the fields of crystal growth, epitaxy and materials characterization. Seminar aims to give early-career researchers the opportunity to present and discuss their work in a relaxed atmosphere and exchange ideas with fellow experts.

The scientific program included invited talks from academia and industry addressing career paths in crystal growth, epitaxy and characterization and shared their experiences and advice. To encourage active participation, all attendees were presented a scientific poster and introduced it with a concise three-minute “lightning talk”. An additional incentive for preparing and presenting the poster was the jDGKK Poster Award; this year the award was unanimously granted by the jury to Gaetano Bonetti from the IKZ Berlin.

Participants also visited the KIT Light Source during a guided synchrotron tour, including stops at Image beamline, X-ray topography station, Nano-beamline and UHV Analysis Lab, providing insights into beamline instrumentation and advanced characterization techniques at KIT. 

Finally, the seminar provided an opportunity for networking within the crystal growth community. The participants, invited speakers, and the members of the DGKK board concluded the day with dinner together, bringing the event to a convivial close.

Further information about the meeting can be found on the event webpage.

Contact: Merve Kabukcuoglu