AMBER Researcher receives Intel Rising Star Faculty Award for groundbreaking research

30 September 2022

Prof Alessandro Lunghi of AMBER, the SFI Centre for Advanced Materials and BioEngineering Research, and School of Physics in Trinity College Dublin, has been awarded the Intel Rising Star Faculty Award (RSA) for his breakthrough work in quantum mechanics research.

The Intel RSA programme recognises 15 early-career researchers from the international research community who demonstrate great promise of being academic leaders with the potential to disrupt the tech industry. The award entails €50,000 in funding for travel networking opportunities. Prof. Lunghi is the only recipient of the award in Ireland. 

Prof. Lunghi is at the forefront of developing an improved understanding of spin-phonon relaxation — a concept that theorists have struggled with for almost a century. His work focusing on predicting molecular spin is a breakthrough in quantum science that impacts every magnetism-related technology, from MRI machines to computer data storage.

His future research aims at redefining the state-of-the-art in computational modelling of solid-state magnetic systems. This will lead to unprecedented description of the physics of spin’s dynamics, accelerating the design of new magnetic materials for quantum devices with the potential to lead to new disruptive technologies.

Lorraine Byrne, Executive Director of AMBER, commented on the announcement:

“The combined application of theoretical physics and machine learning for materials discovery has been a core competency of the AMBER centre since its inception.”

“This Intel Rising Star Faculty Award for Prof. Lunghi and his work in applying this field to the design materials suitable for use in quantum devices, is a great endorsement of our academic leadership in this area and well deserved recognition of the success which Prof. Lunghi has had.” 

“We are looking forward to continuing to work with Alessandro and his team in evolving this important area of materials science,” she added. 

Prof. Lunghi said upon receiving the award, “I am truly honored that a tech giant such as Intel has recognized the importance of our contributions to a fundamental-science field such as spin relaxation.”