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This year the Deutsche Hochschulverband (DHV) (German University Association) is presenting their President of the Year award to Prof. Manfred Bayer, President of TU Dortmund since 2020. Prof. Bayer also served as chairman of PDI’s Scientific Advisory Board until his term ended last year.

A recent paper published in Advanced Science and featuring contributions from PDI researchers demonstrated that molecular beam epitaxy allows fabricating lamellar GeTe-rich (GeTe)m(Sb2Te3)n alloys which show ferroelectric properties. The material was developed at PDI within the European project BeforeHand (GA 824957, Horizon2020) – a collaboration between PDI and six other European partners.

Today, the Paul-Drude-Institut für Festkörperelektronik (PDI) in Berlin launched its inaugural Artist-in-Residency Program, aimed at inspiring unique perspectives on science and presenting new opportunities for engaging with the community. The residency is open to Berlin-based artists from all disciplines. The deadline for applications is May 17th, 2024.

Berlin is host to the 87th Annual Meeting of DPG and DPG Spring Meetings (DPG-Frühjahrstagung) of the Condensed Matter Section, taking place from 17th to 22nd March 2024 at Technische Universität Berlin. Scientists from PDI are contributing to 36 events this year. Here you can find the full schedule of PDI's contributions.

John W. Freeland, a senior physicist and staff scientist at Argonne National Laboratory, is a specialist in soft X-ray spectroscopy and supports scientists using the Advanced Photon Source (APS). As the APS is currently undergoing an intensive upgrade, John seized the opportunity to take a sabbatical and join us at PDI. Here he shares his thoughts about the experience.

At PDI, we recognize the profound importance of scientific outreach in fostering a connection between the research community and the world outside. In this article, we discuss why engaging with the community is so important for scientific institutions like ours.

On November 24th, PDI guest scientist John W. Freeland will speak at the virtual seminar at BESSY II, the 240 meter BESSY II storage ring in Berlin-Adlershof. John is based at Argonne National Laboratory where he focuses his research on the application of polarized X-ray techniques to probe the magnetism of surfaces and interfaces.

From November 2023 to January 2024, scientists from across Europe will visit PDI to speak about their work in 2D Magnetic Materials and Heterostructures. The first event takes place on November 24th with Arnaud Gloppe from the Centre national de la recherche scientifique (CNRS) and University of Strasbourg.

Over the years, we've brought science to the city in many unexpected formats, including the art-science festival STATE Experience Science, our artist-in-residence Sadie Weiss, and taking science underground in Mind The Lab. This year, in our fifth partnership with Berlin Science Week, we are bringing science to the streets in two new ways. Find out more here.

In a paper published in Advanced Science, researchers from PDI and the Xiamen University demonstrated that ferrimagnetic NiCo2O4 provides a solution for the long-term challenge of finding materials with a robust out-of-plane magnetization. Their findings pave the way for novel spintronic application, offering solutions for future high-density memories beyond current designs.