Aroosa Ijaz, LUMS BS Physics class of 2013, has joined one of the world's most prestigious research universities ETH Zurich as a PhD researcher. She has been selected as one of the 15 PhD students from all over Europe for the Marie Skłodowska-Curie actions fellowship. The fellowship funds a collaborative European project called "Spin-Nano" (https://sites.google.com/a/sheffield.ac.uk/spin-nano/) in which world’s leading experts in nano-science and technology from both academics and industry will work together. The aim is to achieve breakthroughs in understanding and successful utilisation of nanoscale solid-state spin systems in emerging quantum technologies. The selected students will be supervised by these experts and receive international level multidisciplinary training. They will share knowledge, technological infrastructure and cutting edge research skills. Some member institutes are Universities of Cambridge and Sheffield, ETHZ, Technical University of Munich, National Centre for Scientific Research, Helia Photonics, attocube systems AG., Janssen Precision Engineering, Leiden Cryogenics B.V, HQGraphene and many more.
In her project, Aroosa will work on understanding quantum effects in 2D atom-thick monolayers of semiconductors. The new degree of freedom that is offered by these quantum systems, namely the spin valley physics, will be explored. She will use the facilities provided by the project network to carry out advanced optical magnetospectroscopy and ultra-fast spectroscopy of TMDC (Transition Metal Dichalcogenide) monolayers. Her goals are to understand the underlying quantum dynamics and realise electrically-controlled spin-quantum-bits for quantum information and communication.
During her undergraduate studies at LUMS, Aroosa studied Physics with Computer Science as a minor. Afterwards, she earned her master’s degree in Physics from University of Ulm, Germany. In her master’s thesis research, she was involved in exploring novel quantum systems in diamond that can be used for quantum information processing applications. Speaking about the contribution of LUMS in her life, she said: "It’s extremely over whelming and deeply humbling to be part of such an international network. LUMS played a crucial role in my personal and career development. It encouraged me to stay strong in the face of all social constraints and instilled rigorous work ethics in me. All my teachers were amazing and gave me limitless motivation and confidence. LUMS would always be my home and my source of inspiration."
