Materials theory specialist Nicola Spaldin has been awarded this year’s Marcel Benoist prize for her groundbreaking research on multiferroics – a new class of substances that can act as magnets and react to electric fields.
This content was published on
1 minute
swissinfo.ch/sm
This property makes multiferroics promising materials that could be used to replace silicon in computer chips.
“She has laid the foundation for an ultra-fast and energy-efficient data storage,” announced the Benoist foundationExternal link on Thursday. Born in England in 1969, Spaldin taught at the University of California before becoming a professor at Swiss Federal Institute of Technology ETH ZurichExternal link in 2011.
Thanks to her pioneering work, “electronic devices can now be equipped with a completely new architecture and higher energy efficiency. Possible applications are ultrafast computers, tiny data memories or medical precision measurements,” explained the foundation.
Spaldin was congratulated in Bern on Thursday by Federal Councillor Guy Parmelin, the minister responsible for research. She said she appreciated the “excellent conditions” for research in Switzerland. The prize is worth CHF250,000 ($254,313).
External Content
It was a pleasure to meet Federal Councillor Guy Parmelin today to celebrate the Swiss Science Prize Marcel Benoist https://t.co/zy6wYTBNElExternal link
Train vs plane: would you take a direct train between London and Geneva?
Eurostar is planning to run direct trains from Britain to Germany and Switzerland from the early 2030s. Would you favour the train over the plane? If not, why not?
Legal action filed against Swiss purchase of Israeli drones
This content was published on
Not only delays and setbacks. To the already troubled issue of the Israeli ADS15 drones, involving the company Elbit and armasuisse, there is now also a legal action, which aims to put an end to the delivery of the six reconnaissance drones.
Higher direct payments fail to curb scrub encroachment on alpine pastures
This content was published on
The scrub encroachment on Swiss alpine pastures leads to the loss of grassland and damages the typical landscape. It is also responsible for the decline in biodiversity. Despite higher direct payments, the bushes continue to spread.
Head of Swiss financial regulator’s Banks division quits
This content was published on
Thomas Hirschi, head of the Banks division of the Swiss Financial Market Supervisory Authority FINMA will leave at the end of August.
Swiss population satisfied with life according to survey
This content was published on
In a survey, the population of German-speaking and French-speaking Switzerland expressed general satisfaction with their lives. Respondents were less happy with politics and their personal finances, according to the online comparison service Moneyland.
WHO ‘extremely concerned’ about growing vaccination scepticism
This content was published on
According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), vaccination scepticism and a collapse in funding for vaccination campaigns pose a major threat to the health of the world's population.
High-net-worth individuals prioritise well-being over material possessions
This content was published on
The priorities of wealthy private individuals have shifted against the backdrop of ongoing geopolitical tensions and trade disputes. While spending on luxury goods is declining, demand for travel and experiences is unabated.
Swiss researchers sequence genome of 1918 Spanish flu virus
This content was published on
Researchers from the Universities of Basel and Zurich (UZH) have sequenced the genome of the Spanish flu virus, thanks to a sample taken from an 18-year-old Swiss boy who died in the city on the Limmat in 1918, when the pandemic spread around the world.
Swiss martyr beatified in Barcelona by Catholic Church
This content was published on
François-Benjamin May (1870-1909), a member of the Marist Brothers congregation, has been recognised as a 'blessed' by the Catholic Church.
If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.
Read more
More
Conflict researcher wins ‘Swiss Nobel’ prize
This content was published on
Lars-Erik Cederman has won this year’s Benoist prize for his work showing how fairly distributed power and resources help reduce ethnic conflicts.
This content was published on
Over the past five decades, the Federal Institute of Technology in Lausanne (EPFL) has been the home of many scientific discoveries.
You can find an overview of ongoing debates with our journalists here . Please join us!
If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.