Winner. Scientist of the Year 2017. Natural Sciences

Nicola Spaldin

Academic title, degree: Ph.D.
Fields of science: Astronomy and Physics/Magnetism Chemistry/Chemistry, materials Engineering/Materials science (including materials engineering)
Research interest: Multiferroics, materials theory, strongly correlated materials
Institution: Swiss Federal Technical University in Zurich
Position: Head of the Materials Theory Group
Country: Switzerland

Nicola Spaldin is Professor of Materials Theory at ETH Zurich, known for her pioneering research on multiferroics.

Nicola Spaldin is the Professor of Materials Theory at ETH Zurich. A native of Sunderland, she studied Natural Sciences at Churchill College, Cambridge and obtained her PhD in Chemistry from the University of California at Berkeley. After postdoctoral research in Applied Physics at Yale University she joined the Materials Department at University of California, Santa Barbara as Assistant, Associate then Full Professor before returning to Europe in 2010.

Spaldin developed the class of materials known as multiferroics, which combine simultaneous ferromagnetism and ferroelectricity, for which she has received the American Physical Society's McGroddy Prize for Materials, the Körber European Science Prize and the L'Oréal-UNESCO For Women in Science Award, among many other honors.

Dr. Spaldin is a passionate science educator, author of a popular text book on Magnetic Materials, director of her department’s study program, and holder of the ETH Golden Owl Award for excellence in teaching.

Contribution in reinventing magnetic materials for next-generation electronic devices. Her research on multiferroic materials could lead to a new generation of electronic equipment components.