Prof. dr. ir. Tom Depover is staff member at the research group Sustainable Materials Science within the Department of Materials, Textiles and Chemical Engineering of the  Faculty  of  Engineering  and Architecture at  Ghent  University. His  educational  tasks  involve, among others, courses related corrosion and surface technology, rational use of materials and sustainable engineering.  With  a  background  on  materials science (metallurgy) and sustainability, his research field considers the environmental assisted degradation of metals with a focus on the interaction with hydrogen and corrosion phenomena. When materials interact with their environment, their integrity will degrade of time. Increasing the life span of materials and components is key to reduce the CO₂ emissions and the required energy. Especially in times of climate change and resource scarcity, these sustainable decisions are key. For this purpose, an experimental expertise and novel methodologies have been developed to evaluate the specific interaction of metals with their environment. Prof. Depover has extensive experience in working in different types of multidisciplinary projects, preferably in collaboration with industrial partners.