With grants in the region of DKK 6-8 million, this year's 16 VILLUM Young Investigators are ready to make their contribution to the technical and natural sciences and to make their mark on the future. Common to all the researchers are towering ambitions and research areas that it can be challenging to get to grips with.
"It is gratifying that these young researchers are now afforded the opportunity to develop their own impressive ideas. Many have the backing of their host institutions and have excellent career prospects. This bodes well for Danish research," says Thomas Bjørnholm, Executive Chief Scientific Officer of VILLUM FONDEN.
The five Villum Young Investigators conduct research in very different topics. One of the projects will search for a new semiconductor within inorganic phosphosulfides with specific optical and electrical properties which will improve the efficiency of various key energy processes such as the production of electricity, fuel, and light.
Another project is about 'living' concrete and will develop a multifunctional building composite that couples the sustainability of self-healing concrete and the responsive nature of 'self-sensing' materials which allows it to communicate in real-time its health condition. This will provide knowledge of early-warning signals from buildings, roads, and bridges which are susceptible to losing their designed functions as they deteriorate with ageing and are vulnerable to natural disasters.
The other projects are about a nanolaser, dissipative light-matter interaction, and the understanding and design of confined states of light.
The five Villum Young Investigators are:
- Navid Ranjbar, DTU Civil Engineering
- Thomas Christensen, DTU Fotonik
- Lars Rishøj, DTU Fotonik
- Yi Yu, DTU Fotonik
- Andrea Crovetto, DTU Nanolab
