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A new study published in ACS Nano, led by researchers from PDI with collaborators from Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin and QZabre AG, Switzerland, demonstrates the successful growth of above-room-temperature ferromagnetic Fe₃GaTe₂ thin films using molecular beam epitaxy. The findings provide a deeper understanding of 2D ferromagnetic materials and open new pathways toward scalable spintronic heterostructures.

Following an initiative by the Equal Opportunity Officers across the Forschungsverbund Berlin (FVB), all FVB institutes now appoint an Equal Opportunity Representative within their Scientific Advisory Boards (SAB). This role ensures that equality, diversity, and family-friendliness are actively considered in all SAB discussions and decisions, helping to make evaluation and advisory processes fair and transparent.

Last month, we were delighted to welcome the co-founders of Bizmuth MBE Ltd., Faebian Bastiman and Isabella Lorente, to PDI. Over the course of two days, they toured the MBE Lab and held in-depth discussions with the team regarding the ongoing collaboration between PDI and Bizmuth to advance the automation of MBE growth using a custom-built AI system.

The 2026 MRS Spring Meeting & Exhibit will bring together materials researchers from around the world for a week of cross-disciplinary collaboration and scientific exchange. Taking place in Honolulu, Hawai‘i, from April 26–May 1, 2026, the conference is one of the leading global events in materials science. PDI’s Roman Engel-Herbert and Joao Marcelo Lopes are among the invited speakers, and Nadire Nayir serves as one of the symposium organizers.

Congratulations to Serkan Sirt, who successfully defended his dissertation, “Signatures of Coulomb Screening in the Quantum Hall Effect" in September at Freie Universität Berlin. Serkan's PhD was supervised at PDI by Stefan Ludwig.

PDI is excited to announce an open call for the 2026 RISE Professional program, offered by the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD). PDI has been hosting students within this framework for many years, providing summer research internships for Master's and PhD students from the United States, Canada, Great Britain, and Ireland. Through the program, participants receive the opportunity to engage in research-oriented projects aligned with their academic backgrounds.

A team of scientists led by PDI has cracked open the “black box” of precursor chemistry, revealing—for the first time—the hidden reaction pathways of a key compound used in the growth of complex oxides. Their predictive framework shifts synthesis from trial and error to a controllable, transparent process, paving the way for faster, more precise, and cost-effective manufacturing of advanced thin films.

PDI researchers have achieved the first epitaxial growth of scandium nitride in the unusual (113) orientation, expanding the possibilities for nitride materials research. Published in ACS Applied Electronic Materials, this breakthrough opens new pathways for designing nitride-based materials with tailored properties for future electronic and optoelectronic applications.

Three PDI scientists have secured two of the nine projects funded under the DFG Priority Programme Nitrides4Future (SPP 2477). These awards highlight PDI’s leading role in nitride semiconductor research and device innovation.

Today, on United Nations International Equal Pay Day, we take a moment to reflect on fairness and equality in the workplace.