Dr. Iva Tkalcec

BIOGRAPHY
Iva Tkalcec was born in 1974 in Zagreb (Croatia). She obtained Dipl. Ing. of Physics degree at University of Zagreb in 2000 She obtained her Ph.D. at EPFL in 2004 with the thesis entitled “Mechanical properties and microstructure of a high carbon steel” under the supervision of Prof. Willy Benoit. The work was made in collaboration with UMV Vallorbe and was focused on tool steel used for the production of files. Iva used numerous experimental techniques: mechanical spectroscopy, thermoelectric power, synchrotron x-ray diffraction, nanoindentation, atomic force microscopy, differential scanning calorimetry. As a post-doc she studied optical properties of TaON thin films in 2005 in the group of Prof. Levy at EPFL. Since then she is in charge of data acquisition (using HP Vee and LabVIEW) in our group and assists the construction of new torsion pendula. Her current research activity concerns hydrogen storage in magnesium based alloys.


RESEARCH

I. Taklcec made her PhD. thesis work studying the mechanical properties of carbon steels. She has evidenced the fundamental role of carbon in controlling the mechanical behavior of such steels. She used numerous experimental techniques: mechanical spectroscopy, thermoelectric power, synchrotron x-ray diffraction, nanoindentation, atomic force microscopy, differential scanning calorimetry. As a post-doc she studied optical properties of TaON thin films. Her current interest is hydrogen storege in magnesium alloys.


TEACHING

Since she has been working at EPFL, I. Tkalcec has teached for the courses “Travaux pratiques de Physique” and “Introduction à la Métrologie”.