Two Rubicon grants for physics
The Netherlands Organisation for Scientific Research (NWO) has awarded fifteen young, highly promising researchers funding from the Rubicon programme. Two researchers received the grant in the field of physics: Stephan van Reenen, MSc and Dr. Saeedeh Farokhipoor. With Rubicon, NWO gives Dutch scientists who have recently gained a PhD the opportunity to gain research experience at top international institutes abroad.
Each year, NWO can fund about 60 young researchers within the Rubicon programme, for an amount of seven million euros in total, divided over three rounds. In this round, NWO received 113 applications. Fifteen of the applicants have received funding, nine women and six men. With their funding these talents can do research abroad for a period of up to 24 months. The size of the funding is dependent on the destination chosen and the duration of their stay.
Brief descriptions of the research projects in in the field of physics are given below.
Rapid transport of magnetic information in carbon
Dr. S. (Saeedeh) Farokhipoor (v), RUG -> University of Cambridge, Department of Materials Science & Metallurgy, Device Materials group (UK), 24 months
Improvements to semiconductor electronics cannot continue indefinitely due to physical limitations. Scientists plan to investigate how well sheets of carbon atoms (graphene) can carry magnetic information in order to make faster, cheaper and denser electronic devices that consume less power.
Energietransport in revolutionaire, goedkope, efficiënte zonnecellen
MSc S. (Stephan) van Reenen (m), TU/e -> University of Oxford, Department of Physics (UK), 24 months
Soon, solar cells made of organic-inorganic hybrid materials known as perovskites, will be a potentially efficient (already 16%), cheap and sustainable alternative for energy generation. The researchers will analyse the energy transport within this material to explain and improve its high efficiency.
For the complete list of researchers awarded funding please see the NWO website.
More information
Website NWO or contact NWO Information and Communication Department, +31 (0)70 344 07 41.