Ebba Matic, Viktor Bekassy and Johanna Huhtasaari have all been recruited to the Excellence PhD positions through the Area of Advance Nano. A few weeks ago, they started their new journey at Chalmers.
Among hundreds of applicants, only three people were selected for the position and all three have a background of studies at Chalmers. Ebba Matic who is at the Department of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, studied an MSc in Chemical Engineering and a Master's degree in Materials Chemistry. Similarly, Johanna Huhtasaari at the Department of Microtechnology and Nanoscience holds an MSc in Chemical Engineering with a Master's degree in Nanotechnology. Viktor Bekassy, who works at the Department of Microtechnology and Nanoscience, studied Engineering Physics with a master’s degree in physics.
Several reasons to apply
Despite the tough competition, the three managed to get the desired position. The freedom to choose their own project idea and the interdisciplinary breadth of the subject were attractive reasons to apply for the position as an Excellence PhD.
"It was a perfect position within Nano which I liked. I also think there is a nice atmosphere here at Chalmers and I wanted to stay in Göteborg. There is a great freedom to choose your own supervisor and topic, which I appreciate,” says Viktor.
"For me, nano research seemed very interesting, it is interdisciplinary, and you can have collaborations across departments. When I saw that the position was available, I saw an opportunity to continue doing what I enjoy,” says Ebba.
"I had a project idea which I felt strongly that I wanted to do. This project is very interesting, and there are many possibilities. My research can take many different paths, and I think all would be very exciting. This grant has given me the possibility to perform exactly the research I find the most interesting. I also had a strong wish to do my PhD in my current lab, because the working environment is very good and inspiring. Therefore, I took the chance and applied,” says Johanna.
There is a great freedom to choose your own supervisor and topic, which I appreciate.
The different research of the PhDs
Ebba designs coordination cages, which means that she puts metal ions together with organic molecules in discrete 3D dimensional structures such as cubes. These have a hole in the center where you can insert molecules and then you can change the properties of the molecules. Her project involves customizing these cavities for specific applications and her supervisor is Angela Grommet, Assistant Professor in Chemistry and Biochemistry.
"We can get new molecules and chemical reactions using the coordination cages and protect molecules from air for example. A typical example is white phosphorus, which becomes very hot when it reacts with water. When you put it in a coordination cage, it becomes protected, stable and can be stored completely open. We do this mainly through lab work and testing in potential applications,” says Ebba.
Viktor investigates superconducting materials that interact with magnetic materials. The long-term goal of the research field is to obtain room-temperature superconductors, which will make it possible to conduct electricity without any losses.
"After using electronics for a while, they get hot and consume energy. These superconducting materials can conduct the current without getting too hot, thus not losing any energy. We investigate how magnetism affects the materials and through microscopic modelling, we see how we get different collective phases. I will work on the theoretical part and then simulate this on computers together with my supervisor Mikael Fogelström, Head of Department at the department of MC2,” Viktor explains.
Johanna's research is about strongly correlated electrons in graphene based electronic devices. Systems with strongly correlated electrons are associated with constant electron energy dispersion or so-called flat bands. A well-known example of this is magic-angle twisted bilayer graphene, which is two layers of graphene rotated with respect to each other with a so-called magic angle. Her supervisor is Samuel Lara-Avila, Senior Researcher in Quantum Device Physics.
"Many different quantum phases such as superconductivity have been found in this material. Using this material, it is possible to tune the superconductivity in one single device, which makes it an interesting experimental platform. In my research, I work with epitaxial graphene, which is a form of graphene that is single-crystalline at the wafer scale. The idea is to use epitaxial graphene as a platform to realize flat band systems. The main tool in my toolbox to understand the physics is transport measurements at low temperatures and in magnetic fields,” concludes Johanna.
About the recruitment of Excellence PhD students
Each year, the Nano Area of Advance funds the recruitment of three PhD students to different institutions linked to nano research. The job advertisement is published at the beginning of the year with a deadline for applications in mid-March. The Nano Area of Advance management team together with the steering group selects the three candidates.