Two physics talents receive Rubicon Grant
The Netherlands Organisation for Scientific Research (NWO) awarded Rubicon grants to seventeen promising researchers. With this funding, NWO gives scientists who have recently gained their PhD the opportunity to acquire research experience at internationally renowned institutes abroad. Two of the researchers are physicist: former FOM PhD Dr. Ronald Ulbricht and Dr. Elif Karatay. Both physicists are going to the United States.
Two Rubicons for physics
Ulbricht gained his doctorate in 2012 at FOM Institute AMOLF/the University of Amsterdam for his research into 'Charge carriers in semiconductors: Loose, confined, trapped'. He will gain his research experience at the University of Colorado for two years with a research project entitled 'Seeing the fast in the small'. A short summary: Materials are composed of very small constituents (nanometres) in which very fast processes (femtoseconds) occur that define the material's property and functionality. This project sets out to develop new techniques that can see and control such fast dynamics in molecules and nanostructures using a nanometre-sized optical antenna.
Karatay's (University of Twente) research is a mixture of physics and technology and focuses on chaotic movements in salts solutions. If a current passes through salt solutions, ion polarisation occurs. At very high current densities the polarisation behaves like a shock and that results in chaotic movements. It will be investigated why this polarisation influences movement in salt solutions and how this can be controlled. Karatay will do two years of research at Stanford University in the Department of Mechanical Engineering.
Ninety researchers submitted a proposal for Rubicon and seventeen of them have been awarded funding. Ten laureates are going to the United States, four to the United Kingdom, one to Germany, one to Switzerland and one to Italy.
About Rubicon
The scientists who have received a Rubicon grant can use it to do research for a period of up to 24 months. The size of the grant depends on the destination chosen and the duration of the stay. Each year, NWO can fund about 60 young researchers within Rubicon. The programme is named after the river Rubicon. Julius Caesar crossed the river before embarking on the series of victories that led to his famous pronouncement 'veni, vidi, vici'.
More information
More information is available on the website of NWO or contact NWO Information and Communication, telephone +31 (0)70 344 07 41.