A computational peek inside the lower Earth mantle

In a new study published in Physical Review B, a group of MARVEL scientists from Nicola Marzari's THEOS lab have applied a mix of quantum simulation methods to simulate how the calcium-silicate perovskite (CaSiO3), one of the main components of the lower mantle, behaves in different pressure and temperature conditions, up to the extreme values that we expect to find at that depths. The results could improve our understanding of the Earth’s internal dynamics and evolution, as well as the models that describe how seismic waves travel during earthquakes.. 

Interviews with Peter Haynes, Zoë Holmes, and Michele Ceriotti

During the Psi-k 2025 that took place from 25 to 28 August in Lausanne, we interviewed several top experts in computational materials science and asked them how they see the future of the field. The resulting video interviews will be published over the course of the next weeks on our website, presenting a range of diverse perspectives on the challenges and opportunities that await the community. The interviews are also an opportunity to assess the impact of MARVEL and its impact on the field overall. Here are the interviews to Peter Haynes from Imperial College London, who was also the chair of Psi-k 2025, MARVEL member and EPFL professor Zoë Holmes, and Michele Ceriotti, EPFL professor and deputy director of MARVEL. 

Nicola Marzari receives the 2026 David Adler Award in Materials Physics from the American Physical Society

Each year, the award recognizes an outstanding contributor to the field of materials physics who has made an impact through high quality research, review articles, and lecturing. The motivation for Marzari’s award is “for new theory and method developments that have advanced the predictive power of first-principles calculations, and for sustained leadership and community-building in computational materials physics”.  Marzari will receive the award during the 2026 APS Global Physics Summit in Denver, Colorado, where he will give an invited talk on electronic-structure simulations. 

Zoë Holmes wins the 2025 Zonta Prize

The 2025 Zonta Prize has been awarded to Zoë Holmes, an assistant professor of physics at EPFL and head of the Laboratory of Quantum Information and Computation and also a MARVEL PI since spring 2023. The prize recognizes every two years a promising young female scientist in Switzerland. In this article, discover Zoë’s career path and passions. And also how she will use the money of her prize mostly  in service of the community.

MARVEL Junior Seminar — December 2025

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 69th MARVEL Junior Seminar:  Changpeng Lin (Laboratory of Theory and Simulation of Materials - THEOS, EPFL) and Julia Chmielewska (Advanced Materials Processing, EMPA) will present their research.

2-week MARVEL-ICTP College in computational materials science

This 2-week MARVEL-ICTP College in computational materials science will take place on June 1-12, 2026 at ICTP in Trieste. The event is dedicated to MARVEL PhD students and early postdocs, as well as students all around the world, with support also for those coming from emerging economies. This will be our core educational event, bringing ~200 researchers to work and live together for 2 weeks.

MARVEL final event at EPFL

On July 9-10, 2026, MARVEL final event at EPFL will close 12 years of research and activities on computational materials science. This event will be dedicated to the accomplishments of MARVEL and to the relevance of these to the industrial and technological ecosystem, inviting alumni and key players worldwide in academia and industry, SNSF review panel, scientific and industrial advisory boards, EPFL leadership, and scientific journalists.