Helmholtz Doctoral Award Winners in the Research Field Information
The Helmholtz Research Field Information extends its congratulations to Dr. Richard Gebauer and Dr. Iulia Cojocariu on receiving the Helmholtz Doctoral Prize. Both scientists secured the award in the Research Field Information due to their exceptional works in the fields of quantum computing and molecular magnetism.
The Helmholtz Association is renowned for promoting scientific excellence and annually awards the Doctoral Prize to outstanding Ph.D. candidates. The uniqueness of this award lies in its duality. Since 2022, the prize has been divided into two categories: Track A for fundamental research and Track B for application-oriented research. With this, the Helmholtz Association aims to ensure both pure scientific works and those with a clear application reference are appropriately honored. Both categories offer winners a prize money of 5,000 euros along with additional support and opportunities for their research. This year, in the Helmholtz Research Division for Information, the Helmholtz Doctoral Prize was awarded to the two early-career scientists, Dr. Iulia Cojocariu from the Jülich Research Center and Dr. Richard Gebauer from the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology.
Dr. Iulia Cojocariu was recognized for her work in the field of physics. Her doctoral thesis titled “Activating molecular magnetism by controlled on-surface coordination” was prepared at the Peter Grünberg Institute for Electronic Properties (PGI-6) under the guidance of Prof. Claus M. Schneider at the Jülich Research Center and defended at the University of Duisburg-Essen. For her doctoral work, she researched two-dimensional materials – metal-organic layers on coin metal substrates at the NanoESCA Beamline in Trieste. The young scientist selectively functionalized these interfaces, thus altering the electrical and magnetic properties. These “smart” materials could serve as electrical components or sensors in the future. She was awarded under Track A for fundamental research, emphasizing significant contributions to theoretical research. She now works as a postdoc at the Elettra Synchrotron and the University of Trieste.
Dr. Richard Gebauer, currently working as a strategy consultant at PwC Strategy&, made a significant contribution to quantum computing during his research phase at the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT). He prepared his doctoral thesis titled “A Flexible FPGA-based Control Platform for Superconducting Multi-Qubit Experiments” at the Institute for Process Data Processing and Electronics (IPE) under the guidance of Prof. Dr. Marc Weber. The young scientist developed an FPGA-based control platform called “QiController” for superconducting multi-qubit experiments in the realm of quantum computing. This platform enabled diverse physical experiments and marked a significant step towards a universal quantum computer. He received the award under Track B for application-oriented research, highlighting the transfer of scientific findings into practice.
Through the awarding of the Doctoral Prize, the Helmholtz Association underscores its commitment to recognizing scientific excellence. This prize not only acknowledges the recipients’ past research achievements but also serves as encouragement for the awardees to continuously advance their work.
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Contact for this Press release:
Dr. Mark-Robert Kalus
Coordination Research Field Information
Forschungszentrum Jülich
Phone: +49 2461/61-85759
E-Mail: m.kalus@fz-juelich.de
