I am a materials scientist at LKR Light Metals Technologies, a subsidiary of the Austrian Institute of Technology (AIT). We are based in Ranshofen, a town near Salzburg, Austria. I lead cooperative research projects, finding solutions that are beyond the frontier of knowledge and of high relevance to the aluminium, aerospace, and automotive industries. A focus of my research is materials characterization using scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and other methods. Below, find some news and links to my published scientific work.

July 2024

In our latest work, we demonstrate that simple, furnace-compatible electrical conductivity measurements can reveal microstructural changes during the homogenization of Al-Mg-Si alloys. We show that this in situ conductometry approach can track phase transformations and be used to predict extrudate grain structure via machine learning. The method bridges a long-standing gap between calorimetry and inline process control. The paper outlines practical sensor setups, compares the method to DSC, and proposes an industrial deployment path—all while remaining extremely cost-effective.

Read the full article here: Österreicher, J. A., Živanović, D., Walenta, W., Maimone, S., Hofbauer, M., ... (2024). In situ conductometry for studying the homogenization of Al-Mg-Si alloys and predicting extrudate grain structure through machine learning. Materials & Design, 243, 113070.

September 2022

David Stowe (Gatan) and I at Ranshofener Leichtmetalltage, Salzburg, Austria, 2022

Gatan recently anounced the launch of the commercial product based on our method, Cipher™, and I'm excited to share this with you: https://www.gatan.com/cipher-system-lithium-analysis

[1] Österreicher, J. A., Simson, C., Großalber, A., Frank, S., & Gneiger, S. (2021). Spatial lithium quantification by backscattered electron microscopy coupled with energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy. Scripta Materialia, 194, 113664.

[2] Lee, J., Mu, S., & Stowe, D. J. (2022). On the Accuracy of the Composition-by-difference Method for Determining Lithium Content in Oxides. Microscopy and Microanalysis, 28(S1), 548-550.

Selected publications

Pichlmann, L., Rafiezadeh, S., Hofbauer, M., Ocansey, E. D., & Österreicher, J. A. (2025). Predicting mechanical properties in aluminum alloys: A data-driven framework leveraging LLM-based data extraction and physics-based feature engineering. Materials Today Communications, 112843. — Presents an open-source framework that combines LLM-driven data extraction with physics-informed feature engineering to predict aluminum alloy mechanical properties.

Österreicher, J. A. (2025). Monte Carlo Simulation of the Tomato Salad Problem. Image Analysis and Stereology, 44(2), 99–103. — Uses an R-based Monte Carlo approach to quantify how slice thickness and distribution affect stereological bias in particle-size measurements.

Watzl, G., Ryzy, M., Österreicher, J. A., Arnoldt, A. R., Yan, G., Scherleitner, E., … (2025). Simultaneous laser-ultrasonic measurement of sound velocities and thickness of plates using combined mode local acoustic spectroscopy. Ultrasonics, 145, 107453. — Introduces CoMLAS, a non-contact method that simultaneously measures plate thickness and sound velocity via combined-mode laser ultrasonics.

Nietsch, J. A., Ott, A. C., Watzl, G., Cerny, A., Grabner, F. J., Grünsteidl, C., … (2024). Comparative study of elastic properties measurement techniques during plastic deformation of aluminum, magnesium, and titanium alloys: application to springback simulation. Meccanica, 1–18. — Compares multiple techniques (tensile tests, laser ultrasonics) for tracking elastic modulus changes during plastic deformation, showing laser ultrasound improves modulus accuracy for springback predictions.

Arnoldt, A., Österreicher, J. A., Schiffl, A., &Huml;oppel, H. W. (2024). Optimizing the Zn and Mg contents of Al–Zn–Mg wrought alloys for high strength and industrial-scale extrudability. Journal of Materials Research and Technology, 32, 2972–2982. — Identifies optimal Zn/Mg ratios for wrought Al–Zn–Mg alloys, balancing high strength (>350 MPa) and good extrudability with homogenization treatment.

Cerny, A., Grabner, F., Arnoldt, A. R., Kunschert, G., Mayr, J., Zickler, G. A., & Österreicher, J. A. (2024). Mechanisms of electrically assisted deformation of an Al–Mg alloy (AA5083-H111): Portevin–Le Chatelier phenotype transformation, suppression, and prolonged necking. Materials Science and Engineering: A, 910, 146865. — Explores how DC pulses alter PLC behavior in AA5083-H111, suppressing the serrated flow and extending uniform deformation.

Österreicher, J. A., Cerny, A., Arnoldt, A. R., Nietsch, J. A., Simson, C., Gneiger, S., … (2024). A systematic through-process rolling and extrusion study of four experimental high-strength Al-Mg-Si alloys. Results in Engineering, 23, 102384. — Presents an end-to-end study of rolling and extrusion, mapping microstructure and mechanical evolution in four high-strength Al–Mg–Si alloys.

Österreicher, J. A., Živanović, D., Walenta, W., Maimone, S., Hofbauer, M., … (2024). In situ conductometry for studying the homogenization of Al‑Mg‑Si alloys and predicting extrudate grain structure through machine learning. Materials & Design, 243, 113070. — Demonstrates furnace-scale conductometry for real-time homogenization monitoring and ML-based prediction of grain structure.

Österreicher, J. A., Pfeiffer, C., Kunschert, G., Weinberger, T., & Schlögl, C. M. (2024). Dissimilar friction stir welding and post-weld heat treatment of Ti-6Al-4V and AA7075 producing joints of unprecedented strength. Journal of Advanced Joining Processes, 9, 100213. — Reports record-strength dissimilar FSW joints between Ti-6Al-4V and AA7075, followed by heat treatment to enhance joint performance.

Arnoldt, A. R., Grohmann, L., Strommer, S., & Österreicher, J. A. (2024). Differential scanning calorimetry of age-hardenable aluminium alloys: effects of sample preparation, experimental conditions, and baseline correction. Journal of Thermal Analysis and Calorimetry, 149(10), 4425–4439. — Evaluates how sample prep and experiment setup affect DSC measurements in age-hardenable alloys and proposes improved baseline correction guidelines.

Ott, A. C., Weißensteiner, I., Arnoldt, A. R., Österreicher, J. A., & Papenberg, N. P. (2024). Automatic texture alignment by optimization method. Microscopy and Microanalysis, 30(2), 253–277. — Introduces an optimization-based algorithm for automatic texture alignment in microscopy images, improving the accuracy of structural analysis.

Hovden, S., Kronsteiner, J., Arnoldt, A., Horwatitsch, D., Kunschert, G., & Österreicher, J. A. (2024). Parameter study of extrusion simulation and grain structure prediction for 6xxx alloys with varied Fe content. Materials Today Communications, 38, 108128.

Österreicher, J. A., Arnoldt, A. R., Gneiger, S., & Kunschert, G. (2023). Tolerance of Al–Mg–Si Wrought Alloys for High Fe Contents: The Role of Effective Si. Metallurgical and Materials Transactions A, 54(11), 4472-4480.

Österreicher, J. A., Nebeling, D., Grabner, F., Cerny, A., Zickler, G. A., Eriksson, J., ... & Schlögl, C. M. (2023). Secondary ageing and formability of an Al-Cu-Mg alloy (2024) in W and under-aged tempers. Materials & Design, 226, 111634.

Honaramooz, M. T., Morak, R., Pogatscher, S., Fritz-Popovski, G., Kremmer, T. M., Meisel, T. C., ... & Paris, O. (2023). Characterization of Zr-Containing Dispersoids in Al–Zn–Mg–Cu Alloys by Small-Angle Scattering. Materials, 16(3), 1213.

Watzl, G., Grünsteidl, C., Arnoldt, A., Nietsch, J. A., & Österreicher, J. A. (2022). In situ laser-ultrasonic monitoring of elastic parameters during natural aging in an Al-Zn-Mg-Cu alloy (AA7075) sheet. Materialia, 26, 101600.

Arnoldt, A., Semmelrock, L., Soukup, D., & Österreicher, J. A. (2022). Analysis of second phase particles in metals using deep learning: Segmentation of nanoscale dispersoids in 6xxx series aluminum alloys (Al-Mg-Si). Materials Characterization, 191, 112138.

Arnoldt, A. R., Schiffl, A., Höppel, H. W., & Österreicher, J. A. (2022). Influence of different homogenization heat treatments on the microstructure and hot flow stress of the aluminum alloy AA6082. Materials Characterization, 191, 112129.

Österreicher, J. A. (2021). Combined cyclic deformation and artificial ageing of an Al-Mg-Si alloy. Materials Letters: X, 10, 100072.

Österreicher, J. A., Grabner, F., Tunes, M. A., Coradini, D. S., Pogatscher, S., & Schlögl, C. M. (2021). Two step–ageing of 7xxx series alloys with an intermediate warm-forming step. Journal of Materials Research and Technology, 12, 1508-1515.

Österreicher, J. A., Simson, C., Großalber, A., Frank, S., & Gneiger, S. (2021). Spatial lithium quantification by backscattered electron microscopy coupled with energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy. Scripta Materialia, 194, 113664.

Österreicher, J. A., Tunes, M. A., Grabner, F., Arnoldt, A., Kremmer, T., Pogatscher, S., & Schlögl, C. M. (2020). Warm-forming of pre-aged Al-Zn-Mg-Cu alloy sheet. Materials & Design, 193, 108837.

Gneiger, S., Koutny, D., Senck, S., Schnall, M., Papenberg, N., & Klein, T. (2022). Wire-Based Additive Manufacturing of Magnesium Alloys. In Magnesium Technology 2022 (pp. 175-179). Springer, Cham.

Grabner, F., Österreicher, J. A., Gruber, B., Papenberg, N., Gerstner, F., Kirnstötter, S., & Schlögl, C. M. (2019). Cryogenic Forming of Al‐Mg Alloy Sheet for Car Outer Body Applications. Advanced Engineering Materials, 21(8), 1900089.

Schuster, P. A., Österreicher, J. A., Kirov, G., Sommitsch, C., Kessler, O., & Mukeli, E. (2019). Characterisation and comparison of process chains for producing automotive structural parts from 7xxx aluminium sheets. Metals, 9(3), 305.

Ryzy, M., Grabec, T., Österreicher, J. A., Hettich, M., & Veres, I. A. (2018). Measurement of coherent surface acoustic wave attenuation in polycrystalline aluminum. AIP Advances, 8(12), 125019.

Österreicher, J. A., Kirov, G., Gerstl, S. S., Mukeli, E., Grabner, F., & Kumar, M. (2018). Stabilization of 7xxx aluminium alloys. Journal of Alloys and Compounds, 740, 167-173.

Österreicher, J. A., Grabner, F., Schiffl, A., Schwarz, S., & Bourret, G. R. (2018). Information depth in backscattered electron microscopy of nanoparticles within a solid matrix. Materials Characterization, 138, 145-153.

Österreicher, J. A., Papenberg, N. P., Kumar, M., Ma, D., Schwarz, S., & Schlögl, C. M. (2017). Quantitative prediction of the mechanical properties of precipitation-hardened alloys with special application to Al–Mg–Si. Materials Science and Engineering: A, 703, 380-385.

Österreicher, J. A., Kumar, M., Schiffl, A., Schwarz, S., & Bourret, G. R. (2017). Secondary precipitation during homogenization of Al-Mg-Si alloys: Influence on high temperature flow stress. Materials Science and Engineering: A, 687, 175-180.

Österreicher, J. A., Kumar, M., Schiffl, A., Schwarz, S., Hillebrand, D., & Bourret, G. R. (2016). Sample preparation methods for scanning electron microscopy of homogenized Al-Mg-Si billets: A comparative study. Materials Characterization, 122, 63-69.

Österreicher, J. A., Schiffl, A., Falkinger, G., & Bourret, G. R. (2016, March). Microstructure and mechanical properties of high strength Al—Mg—Si—Cu profiles for safety parts. In IOP Conference Series: Materials Science and Engineering (Vol. 119, No. 1, p. 012028). IOP Publishing.