| Abstract Scope |
Polycrystalline materials are ubiquitous in engineering applications, yet predicting their macroscopic properties remains a central and unresolved challenge in materials science. Over his distinguished career, David Srolovitz has made foundational contributions to this area, many of which have intersected with my own work on grain boundary dynamics—initially through phase field modeling and, more recently, via atomistic simulations. In this talk, I will offer a personal perspective on two decades of persistent challenges and evolving strategies in modeling polycrystalline behavior. I will discuss the strengths and limitations of various approaches, highlight emerging methods that aim to bridge length scales, and outline some promising directions for developing predictive, engineering-relevant models of polycrystals. |