Trinity pair earn prestigious Royal Society-SFI University Research Fellowships
Posted on: 15 July 2019
Dr Andrea Droghetti and Dr Lewys Jones have earned highly prestigious Royal Society-SFI University Research Fellowships to perform research at Trinity.
These awards, funded by Science Foundation Ireland, are aimed at outstanding early career researchers. They provide the opportunity for recipients to build independent research careers and to become future leaders in their fields. Applicants can apply for up to five years’ research funding at an eligible institution in Ireland, with the possibility to apply for competitive renewal for an additional three years.
The scheme is extremely competitive and University Research Fellows are expected to be strong candidates for permanent posts in universities at the end of their fellowships, with many alumni having gone on to enjoy significant national or international recognition for their work.
Four new awards were announced in Ireland, with Trinity the only Irish institution to host two of the recipients. The four awards represent an investment of €2.8 million and support a total of eight research positions.
Dr Andrea Droghetti will study hybrid systems comprising molecules and metals with the goal of designing storage devices integrating other capabilities – for example, for image displays and energy conversion – while also creating a natural bridge from classical and quantum information and data storage technologies.
Dr Lewys Jones will pioneer new technologies in electron emission, focussing (lens performance) and detection using ultra-sensitive detectors to open new possibilities in the field of materials science.
Dr Jones said:
Electron microscopes pave the way for today’s most modern materials science discoveries, but today’s discoveries are made with today’s generation of microscopes. This five-year project will go beyond today’s state-of-the-art and open new possibilities in atomic-resolution imaging of beam-sensitive technologically essential nanomaterials. This award will be used to grow the Ultramicroscopy research group based at the Advanced Microscopy Laboratory in Trinity.
Director of Science for Society in SFI, Dr Ruth Freeman, added:
“The Royal Society-SFI University Research Fellowships Scheme, which contributes to Ireland’s international reputation for research excellence, recognises those with the potential to become Ireland’s future research leaders.”
“I am delighted to congratulate the four researchers who have been granted these prestigious awards and wish them every success for the future. We are delighted to work together with our UK partners, the Royal Society, to ensure that young researchers have access to stellar opportunities such as these which will launch their research careers.”