These defenses represent a crucial academic milestone and attest to the students’ rigorous research efforts, carried out under the guidance of experts from both FunGlass and a network of distinguished partner institutions.

Each candidate presented and defended their doctoral research before an expert committee composed of representatives from FunGlass as well as renowned academic institutions, including:

• Institute of Inorganic Chemistry, Slovak Academy of Sciences, Bratislava, Slovakia.
• Institute of Materials Research, Slovak Academy of Sciences, Košice, Slovakia.
• Institute of Plasma Physics, Czech Academy of Sciences, Prague, Czechia.
• Faculty of Natural Sciences, Comenius University in Bratislava, Slovakia.
• Tomas Bata University in Zlín, Czechia.

The successful PhD candidates and their respective research topics are as follows:

• Erik Ščasnovič – Compositionally-Complex Ceramic Materials.
  
  
• Mahdi Babaei – High-Entropy Oxide Ceramics for Thermal Barrier Coatings.
  
  
• Badar Khan – Nano-Structured Luminescent Materials for Optical Thermometry.
  
  
• Malihe Ghaffari – Band-Gap Modulation in Transparent Conductive Oxide Films.
  
  
• Garima Thakur – Additive Manufacturing of Transparent Glass for Sensing & Photonics.
  
  

Particular recognition is due to Mr. Erik Ščasnovič, whose academic journey exemplifies the international and interdisciplinary character of contemporary doctoral education. Mr. Ščasnovič is currently pursuing a double-degree PhD in the framework of a cotutelle agreement between FunGlass (Alexander Dubček University of Trenčín) and CEITEC BUT (Central European Institute of Technology, Brno University of Technology). His work, focusing on advanced ceramic systems, reflects the high standards of both institutions and highlights the success of cross-border academic cooperation supported by the European Union.

We extend our sincere congratulations to all the candidates for their outstanding achievements and thank the examination committee members and institutional partners for their invaluable support and dedication. Their contributions are instrumental in shaping the next generation of scientific leaders and fostering excellence in European research.