Newsletter - March 27, 2024

Dear MARVEL'ers,

Please find below our latest newsletter, with highlights and news linked to the MARVEL community.

This month, you can read about the detailed study of a compound of indium, manganese and titanium (InMnTi2) that appears to be a rare example of Weyl semimetal, whose interesting anti-ferromagnetic nature could open promising applications.

Take note of the rich program of activities and seminars coming up, starting with the Ig Nobel Award Tour Show which will be back at EPFL on April 16 following a 5-year hiatus. The Ig Nobel Prizes celebrate unusual and imaginative research, honoring achievements that makes people laugh, and then think.

We'll then have two MARVEL Distinguished Lectures, with Dominika Zgid (University of Michigan) on April 18 and Massimiliano Di Ventra (UCSD) on May 2.

As part of the activities organized jointly between MARVEL and CECAM, mark your calendars for the April 23 'Mary Ann Mansigh' conversation with Nature Physics editor Nina Meinzer and former Nature/Chemistry World news editor Mark Peplow, in which we will explore how scientific editing and scientific journalism work, how young scientists can learn to better interact with editors and writers, and more! Further, the CECAM-MARVEL 'Classics in molecular and materials modelling' will feature Shoshana Wodak and Bill Jorgensen on June 5.

And of course, don't miss the MARVEL Junior Seminar on April 26 as well as the next application deadline for the INSPIRE Potentials Master's fellowships on April 15!

Research highlights

Computational study points to a promising Weyl semimetal

EPFL scientists have studied in detail the electronic structure and magnetic properties of InMnTi2, a compound they had first identified as a candidate Weyl semimetal during a high-throughput study. Weyl semimetals have unusual electrical conductivity that make them interesting for several applications in quantum technologies, lasers, or advanced optics. Interestingly, this material was initially described as non-magnetic, but DFT + U calculations showed it is actually antiferromagnetic, a property that could be exploited for memory devices, sensors, or quantum computing.

Read MARVEL Highlights here.

The Ig Nobel Award Tour Show is back!

Save the date — Ig Nobel Award Tour Show 2024

Apr 16, 2024, from 18:30 until 20:30, EPFL Forum Rolex

On Tuesday April 16, after a 5-year break, EPFL will welcome for the fifth time the Ig Nobel Award Tour Show, with Marc Abrahams and a line-up of Ig Nobel Prize winners, with the support of the NCCR MARVEL.

MARVEL Distinguished Lectures

MARVEL Distinguished Lecture — Dominika Zgid

Apr 18, 2024, from 15:00 until 16:15, Zoom

The 36th NCCR MARVEL Distinguished Lecture will be given by Prof. Dominika Zgid, University of Michigan. She will be presenting a lecture entitled: "Ab-initio Green’s functions methods for molecules and solids. What accuracy can we reach?"

MARVEL Distinguished Lecture — Massimiliano Di Ventra

May 02, 2024, from 15:00 until 16:15, Zoom + MED 2 1124 (EPFL)

The 36th NCCR MARVEL Distinguished Lecture will be given by Prof. Massimiliano Di Ventra, University of California, San Diego. He will be presenting a lecture entitled: "MemComputing: when memory becomes a computing tool".

CECAM-MARVEL Mary Ann Mansigh series: Science writing and science editing - from journals to journalism

Apr 23, 2024, from 15:00 until 18:30, BCH2103, EPFL + online

CECAM and MARVEL present a new event in our Mary Ann Mansigh Conversation series. In a discussion with Nature Physics editor Nina Meinzer and former Nature/Chemistry World news editor Mark Peplow, we will explore how scientific editing and scientific journalism work, how they are being transformed by new technologies, how young scientists can learn to better interact with editors and writers - or become editors and writers themselves.

MARVEL Junior Seminar — April 2024

Apr 26, 2024, from 12:15 until 13:15, Coviz2 (MED 2 1124), EPFL + Zoom

The MARVEL Junior Seminars aim to intensify interactions between the MARVEL Junior scientists belonging to different research groups – this is held in hybrid mode, in order to maintain in-person contacts and allow off-campus attendees to follow the seminars remotely! We are pleased to propose the 58th MARVEL Junior Seminar: Marija Stojkovic (THEOS, EPFL) and Gian Gentinetta (CQSL, EPFL) will present their research.

CECAM-MARVEL Classics in molecular and materials modelling: Shoshana Wodak and Bill Jorgensen

Jun 05, 2024, from 15:00 until 17:30, Online + BCH 2103, EPFL

Shoshana Wodak (the Flemish Free University of Brussels) and Bill Jorgensen (Yale University) will give a joint lecture on "Methods for computational biology and drug discovery", in what will be the tenth event in the series "Classics in molecular and materials modelling" hosted by CECAM and MARVEL.

INSPIRE Potentials – MARVEL Master's Fellowships (12'000 CHF) in computational materials science, electronic-structure simulations, machine learning and big-data are available to outstanding women researchers for 6-month stays in research groups belonging to the NCCR MARVEL. In a field of science where women are still strongly underrepresented, the INSPIRE Potentials – MARVEL Master's Fellowships aim to support excellent female students in their Master's thesis projects, while giving them access to outstanding research facilities and environments. Already 51 fellows have been admitted.

The next deadline for submission is 15 April 2024. All the information is available at http://nccr-marvel.ch/inspire.

This month, you can read about the experiences of Anna Paulish and Ayesha Ulde as Master's students and their advice for young girls interested in the field of materials science.

You can also watch the short video made by former INSPIRE Potentials fellow Virginie de Mestral, which outlines the highlights of the program.

Join the MARVEL Members and Alumni LinkedIn page!

We want to give a second life to the "NCCR MARVEL Members and Alumni" LinkedIn group following the demand of previous members. It is meant to keep in touch with our fellow MARVEL colleagues and friends. This is a private group and either you received an invitation, or your membership has to be confirmed by our administrators. Then feel free to post job positions, ideas of collaborations, networking events. Let's activate our community!

>> https://www.linkedin.com/groups/8825865

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