Dr. Hannah Stern has been appointed by the Royal Society as a University Research Fellow and will take up her post at the Cavendish Laboratory from the start of October.

"I am very honoured to be awarded such a prestigious fellowship. Being a University Research Fellow will allow me to build my own team of students to follow ambitious, cutting-edge research projects." Dr Hannah Stern

“We are delighted that Dr. Hannah Stern is continuing her research at the Cavendish Laboratory ”, said Prof. Andy Parker, head of the Department of Physics at the University of Cambridge. “The Royal Society URF scheme is an exceptionally prestigious award that supports talented scientists. As part of her award Dr. Stern’s research work will further open routes in the upcoming quantum technologies.”

Royal Society University Research Fellowships are awarded to outstanding early career scientists who have the potential to become leaders in their area of research. Dr. Stern’s research aims to expand the material toolkit for upcoming quantum technologies. Most recently, she and her research team have been the first to identify single optically addressable spins in a two-dimensional material, opening new routes to atomically-thin room-temperature devices for quantum networking and sensing applications. As part of her URF she will work towards demonstrating an efficient spin-photon interface using the spins in the 2D platform.

Hannah first obtained a BSc (hons) in Chemistry in Otago, New Zealand. Subsequently, in 2013 she moved to the UK to start a PhD in Physics in the Cavendish under the supervision of Prof Sir Richard Friend. Her PhD work focused on experimentally probing the ultrafast mechanism of spin-triplet exciton formation in molecular materials, to contribute to boosting solar cell efficiencies. After completing her PhD in 2017, Dr. Stern was awarded a Junior Research Fellowship at Trinity College, Cambridge. During this time (2017-2021) she worked across the Department of Chemistry, with Dr Steven Lee and Prof David Klenerman, Department of Engineering and Department of Physics to observe and study quantum emitters from wide bandgap 2D materials. Since 2019, Dr. Hannah Stern has been studying spin-active quantum emitters in hexagonal Boron Nitride (hBN), as part of Prof. Mete Atature’s group at the Cavendish Laboratory, Department of Physics, University of Cambridge.

Her award of the fellowship from the Royal Society will boost her efforts to transform the two-dimensional material system to a quantum platform, as well as opening routes to exploring exciting new material systems. 

By Pooja Pandey, Department of Physics, University of Cambridge