FUNLAYERS Scientific Talk by Dr. Hans Hilgenkamp
Exploring the Richness of (Nano-)Materials Physics for Novel Information Technologies
On 21 November, FUNLAYERS will have the pleasure of welcoming Dr. Hans Hilgenkamp, Scientific Director of the MESA+ Research Institute of the University of Twente, The Netherlands, at the International Iberian Nanotechnology Laboratory - INL.
He will be sharing his insights on unconventional nanomaterials phenomena and demonstrating how these can transform energy-efficient information technologies.
Title
Exploring the Richness of (Nano-)Materials Physics for Novel Information Technologies
Abstract
Conventional information technologies make use of various basic materials properties like electronic and optical conductance, insulation and the ability to switch materials between different electronic/magnetic states. Altogether this has led to very impressive and powerful capabilities, still further progressing owing to advances in the control of materials synthesis and structuring.
However, (nano-)materials physics has many more features to offer that can help in addressing one of the main challenges in information technologies, being the energy consumption. Think for example about unconventional ordering phenomena and phase transitions, topological effects or superconductivity. I will discuss various of these features in relation to information processing, by examples from work done at the University of Twente and elsewhere.
About the Speaker
Hans Hilgenkamp is a professor in Applied Physics and Nanotechnology, and Scientific Director of the MESA+ Research Institute of the University of Twente in The Netherlands. He leads the national Dutch initiative 'NL-ECO: Netherlands Initiative for Energy-Efficient Computing' and is the chairman of NanoLabNL, the collaborative of the 7 main publicly funded nanolabs/cleanrooms in The Netherlands.
Hilgenkamp's own research focus is on materials with unconventional electronic and/or magnetic properties for applications in sensors and energy-efficient neuromorphic ICT. Examples are superconductors or resistive switching materials. His research is foremost experimental, making use of thin films and nanostructures.
After completing his MSc. (1991) and PhD (1995) at the University of Twente, Hans Hilgenkamp worked as a Postdoc at the IBM Zurich Research Lab, Switzerland, and at the University of Augsburg in Germany before returning in 2000 to Twente, where he became full professor in 2005. In 2007 he was awarded the University of Twente Central Education Prize (Lecturer of the Year award) and in 2014 - 2018 he was Dean of the Faculty of Science and Technology.
He was a visiting professor at the CSIRO-Lindfield Lab in Sydney, the National University of Singapore and at Leiden University. Among other activities, he was co-founder of the Global Young Academy (www.globalyoungacademy.net). Hans Hilgenkamp is a Fellow of the Netherlands Academy of Engineering and of the American Physical Society.
We look forward to an interesting talk!
