Damien Chevalier, doctoral student at the Design, Manufacturing, and Control Laboratory in Metz.
Experimental testing, discovering the world of research, and international conferences—the three years of a PhD program are rich in experiences. Damien Chevalier, a PhD student from 2013 to 2016, looks back on his three years of thesis work at the Design, Manufacturing, and Control Laboratory in Metz.
The PhD, a personal challenge
With a master's degree in apprenticeship from the University of Bordeaux, Damien chose to continue his studies to meet a challenge: "The company where I was doing my apprenticeship wanted to hire me, but I wanted to learn about research and prove that an apprenticeship degree did not prevent me from pursuing this path. Arts et Métiers the PhD offered by Arts et Métiers because it covered both steel and manufacturing processes."
3 years, 3 phases
The first phase was discovering the subject: "When I arrived, I had a lot of bibliographic research to do. I learned a lot, but I was also afraid of missing out on important information. Once I found the guiding principle, the most interesting part was about to begin."
This was followed by a year and a half of setting up and conducting experimental tests. It was during this phase that Damien carried out tests on the campus's technology platforms and made several trips to Italy to visit the site of the company commissioning the work. To complete this phase, the results of all these tests had to be analyzed.
Finally, Damien Chevalier spent four months writing his thesis, a reference document submitted to the degree jury.
Throughout this period, he was regularly monitored and guided by two teacher-researchers from the Metz campus and by his industrial supervisor.
A positive outcome and a job at the end of it
Damien took part in the thesis defense exercise in front of an audience of over 100 people. After a 45-minute presentation, he answered questions from the jury for almost two hours.
In addition to obtaining his doctorate, Damien has a very positive view of his thesis: "I discovered the world of research, which I had never been involved in before, and met people who were very knowledgeable in their field. I traveled to Italy and attended international conferences. I even gave a presentation at one of them in Austria. I also took part in training courses offered by the doctoral school and particularly enjoyed the one on negotiation skills based on the Harvard method."
The company with which Damien completed his thesis offered him a permanent contract. He started his new job right after his thesis defense.
