Skip to ContentSkip to Navigation
Research Zernike (ZIAM) News

ERC Starting Grant awarded to Marcos Guimaraes

22 November 2022

Marcos Guimaraes and four other University of Groningen researchers have been awarded an ERC Starting Grant. Next to Guimaraes also Marthe Walvoort, Julia Kamenz, Sandy Schmidt, and Robert Prey receive the grant. The European Research Council (ERC) awards these personal grants, each worth €1.5 million, to outstanding researchers with the aim of stimulating ground-breaking research in Europe.

Marcos Guimaraes
Marcos Guimaraes. Photo: Sylvia Germes

Marcos Guimaraes (Faculty of Science and Engineering)

In his ERC project, Guimaraes will use atomically-thin two-dimensional materials to combine highly efficient magnetic devices with optical communication. The fast development of modern information technology requires smaller devices consuming less energy. Magnetism provides an excellent route for energy-efficient devices, such as hard-disk drives, but they are often slow. Moreover, magnetic information has to be converted into electric currents for it to be transmitted, leading to more power consumption.

Specifically, Guimaraes aims to integrate magnetic devices with a laser that can convert magnetic information into optical information, i.e. light polarization. This project will pave the way for new generations of information technologies, addressing fundamental aspects along the way.

More about ERC

ERC supports talented young researchers in setting up a research team and starting an independent research project. An ERC grant enables these researchers to start bold, groundbreaking research and thus open up new avenues in their field of study.

Last modified:22 November 2022 12.25 p.m.
View this page in: Nederlands

More news

  • 12 September 2023

    Art in times of AI

    Leonardo Arriagada Beltran conducted his PhD research on the interface of computer-generated art and the constantly evolving field of Artificial Intelligence (AI). He will defend his Phd thesis on 21 September. His research offers valuable insights...

  • 28 August 2023

    Harish Vedantham and Casper van der Kooi nominated for 'Wetenschapstalent 2023'

    Harish Vedantham and Casper van der Kooi have been nominated by New Scientist for Wetenschapstalent 2023 (Science Talent 2023). This election is meant to give young scientists and their research a stage.

  • 26 July 2023

    Five promising UG researchers to top institutes abroad on Rubicon grants

    No less than five promising PhD graduates from the University of Groningen will be able to conduct research at top institutes abroad for two years thanks to the Rubicon programme organized by the Netherlands Organisation for Scientific Research...