Joint graduate school for data science sponsors its first projects
The Helmholtz Association, the Einstein Center Digital Future (ECDF) and the universities of Berlin are creating a new PhD programme in Berlin for the field of data science. Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin is involved in several of the projects. The first training positions are already advertised.
The international graduate school HEIBRiDS is being funded with six million euros. It aims at training PhD students who are researching matters that demand not only great expertise in computer science but also specialised knowledge in other disciplines. The PhD students will acquire a deep understanding of the complex relationships between specialised knowledge, algorithmic skills and application-oriented methodologies.
The graduate school will offer at least 25 doctoral students four years of training. Being organised across several locations, the PhD students can benefit from joint educational offerings and a networked research environment. The interdisciplinary subjects are overseen by supervisor teams comprising one researcher from the Helmholtz Association and one from the Einstein Center ECDF. This year, HZB offers at least two doctoral positions.
The graduate school will draw on the participating institutions’ scientific expertise. Within the Helmholtz centres of the capital region, this expertise spans the fields of medicine, energy research, transportation, geosciences and climatology. The Einstein Center Digital Future researches the core technologies of digitalisation, from digital health and digital industry to the digital humanities.
Application
Click here to see the advertised PhD projects of HEIBRiDS (central recruitment for all Helmholtz-Centers will be managed through the MDC website). Please apply by March 3, 2018.
- Imaging Ellipsometry for Process Control of Thin-Film DevicesA German–Israeli research team led by Dr. Andreas Furchner has demonstrated how imaging ellipsometry enables non-destructive characterisation and quality control of microstructured MXene thin films during device fabrication. The authors used two complementary ellipsometry approaches for precise, multi-scale access to key material properties. The work positions imaging ellipsometry as a powerful platform for monitoring thin-film uniformity, device integrity, and functionality throughout processing, including critical lithographic steps. The study was published in Applied Physics Letters and selected as an Editor’s Pick.
- BESSY II: How intrinsic oxygen shortens the lifespan of solid-state batteriesAlthough solid-state batteries (SSBs) demonstrate high performance and are intrinsically safe, their capacity currently declines rapidly. A team from the TU Wien, Humboldt-University Berlin and HZB has now analysed a TiS₂|Li₃YCl₆ solid-state half-cell in operando at BESSY II using a special sample environment that allows for non-destructive investigation under real operating conditions. Data obtained by combination of soft and hard X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS and HAXPES) revealed a new degradation mechanism that had not previously been identified in solid-state batteries. They have gained some surprising insights, particularly regarding the harmful role played by intrinsic oxygen. This study provides valuable information for improving design and handling of such batteries.
- Spintronics at BESSY II: Real-time analysis of magnetic bilayer systemsSpintronic devices enable data processing with significantly lower energy consumption. They are based on the interaction between ferromagnetic and antiferromagnetic layers. Now, a team from Freie Universität Berlin, HZB and Uppsala University has succeeded in tracking, for each layer separately, how the magnetic order changes after a short laser pulse has excited the system. They were also able to identify the main cause of the loss of antiferromagnetic order in the oxide layer: the excitation is transported from the hot electrons in the ferromagnetic metal to the spins in the antiferromagnet.