Jared Cole awarded Catalyst:Leaders Fellowship

Exciton Science Chief Investigator Jared Cole of RMIT University has been awarded a Catalyst:Leaders Fellowship of the Royal Society of New Zealand.

The fellowship supports international researchers to catalyse science and innovation capability and capacity in New Zealand.

The project involves working with collaborators at Victoria University of Wellington and the MacDiarmid Institute over the next three years.

Jared and his collaborators will be developing device modelling and simulation tools which can be applied to exotic materials for spintronic and superconducting applications.

Jared said: “As well as exotic electronic materials, several researchers at VUW are leading experts in ultra-fast spectroscopy and photochemistry.

“This fellowship will also provide me the chance to work with researchers at VUW over an extended period of time on potential joint projects with Exciton Science.”

Why do we need this research?

Electronics underpin the modern world, from the phones in our pockets to the supercomputers that model the weather. The heart of these devices are built using advanced fabrication techniques that have taken decades to perfect and optimise. Modern electronic devices are predominantly based on silicon chips, an approach which has been phenomenally successful.

However, we are reaching a critical juncture. The world-wide power consumption by computing is ever increasing. At the same time, we are reaching the limits of feature density, and switching speed. Our computer chips are literally limited by the fundamental laws of physics.

These limitations have prompted researchers to look at “beyond-CMOS” technologies. Using new materials and devices designs, we are looking for more energy efficient transistors, atomic scale computing methods and brand new computing paradigms such as quantum computing.

However, to implement these new designs requires rethinking decades of conventional electronics development. To succeed we need novel device designs and exotic new materials.

This project will address beyond-CMOS technologies based on novel materials studied at Victoria University of Wellington. Using the latest mathematical and computational models, the researchers will design new devices which will underpin 21st century technology, both in New Zealand and worldwide.

To read about the other recent recipients of Royal Society Te Apārangi fellowships, visit: https://www.royalsociety.org.nz/what-we-do/funds-and-opportunities/catalyst-fund/catalyst-leaders/recipients/recipients-january-2021/