Professor Farsane Tabataba-Vakili Receives Emmy Noether Grant from the DFG
Since September 2024, Professor Farsane Tabataba-Vakili has been conducting research and teaching at the Technische Universität Braunschweig. She has now been awarded funding through the prestigious Emmy Noether Programme of the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG)—an important milestone that will support the establishment of her own research group.
Together with her team, she is investigating novel quantum materials that could be used in sensing, metrology, and (quantum) optoelectronics.
At the core of her research are two-dimensional quantum materials such as graphene. These ultra-thin materials can be stacked layer by layer and deliberately twisted, giving rise to entirely new physical properties. Professor Tabataba-Vakili is particularly interested in the optical, electronic, and magnetic effects of these materials at temperatures close to absolute zero. Using techniques such as laser spectroscopy, her team studies so-called excitons—light-emitting electron–hole pairs—and explores fundamental quantum phenomena with a view toward applications in sensing, metrology, and quantum technologies.
“The Emmy Noether funding allows me to double the size of my research group,” says Professor Tabataba-Vakili. She will receive approximately €1.9 million in funding over a total period of six years, divided into two phases.
“In practical terms, this means we will be able to set up a second, complementary measurement system for magneto-optical low-temperature spectroscopy. Our current team of two researchers will soon grow to three, and within a year to five. Especially at such an early stage of my career—as a tenure-track junior professor—this kind of strong boost is extremely valuable. From a scientific perspective, the funding enables us to explore magnetic and multiferroic moiré excitons and polaritons in two-dimensional magnetic semiconductors.”
Her work is rooted in fundamental research. The long-term vision of the project is to develop a platform for finely tunable quantum simulations and optospintronics. “This will not only allow us to explore new quantum many-body states, but also lay the groundwork for novel magneto-optical devices.” These insights could contribute to the discovery of previously unknown phases of matter and support the development of new components for future computer chips.
About the programme
The Emmy Noether Programme of the DFG enables outstanding early-career researchers to qualify for a professorship by independently leading a junior research group over a period of six years.