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
Two decades after tsunami, Swiss tourists flock to Southeast Asia
This content was published on
Twenty years after a catastrophic tsunami in Southeast Asia, the region is again a top destination for Swiss, including at Christmas.
Swiss forests better equipped for storms 25 years after Lothar
This content was published on
Twenty-five years after Hurricane Lothar wreaked havoc in Switzerland, the country’s forests are now better prepared, experts say.
Media: Swiss medical services done abroad are billed at Swiss rates
This content was published on
In Switzerland, some medical services carried out abroad are still billed at Swiss rates, despite costing less, RTS reports.
This content was published on
Sophie Hediger, a member of the Swiss national snowboard cross team, has died in an avalanche in Arosa. She was 26 years old.
This content was published on
Several Swiss films exceeded the 100,000 admissions mark worldwide in 2024 and received widespread praise at international film festivals.
Swiss Alpine resorts covered in white gold for Christmas
This content was published on
Many areas at low altitudes in Switzerland are enjoying a blanket of snow. In the mountains, intense precipitation has delighted skiers.
SWISS makes emergency landing in Austria after smoke in cockpit
This content was published on
Swiss International Airlines (SWISS) made an emergency landing of an Airbus in Graz, Austria on Monday evening after engine problems.
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.