Dr Jeannine Grune: joining us soon
Image kindly supplied by Dr Grune
Dr Jeannine Grüne, currently a Postdoctoral Researcher in the Cavendish Laboratory at the University of Cambridge, has been awarded a prestigious Research Fellowship by the Royal Commission for the Exhibition 1851. Later this year she will take up the Fellowship in this department.
The Fellowship recognises researchers of exceptional promise and provides them with the opportunity to pursue their own original research project. It is one of the most competitive awards for early-career scientists and engineers in the UK, with only 8-9 Fellowships awarded annually from around 350 applications. The Royal Commission, founded to organise the Great Exhibition at Crystal Palace in 1851, has been awarding Fellowships since 1891, and previous recipients include 13 Nobel Laureates.
Dr Grüne's Fellowship project 'Single-Molecular Qubits with Optical Readout for Next Generation Quantum Technologies' explores the use of individual molecules as qubits - the fundamental building block of quantum systems. Molecular qubits are especially promising because they offer scalability and customisability: they can be produced in large numbers and tailored for specific quantum functionalities. This makes them ideal for future applications such as secure communication, large-scale quantum computing, and high-precision sensing.
"In molecular qubits, quantum information can be stored in the electron spin state of the molecule", Dr Grüne explains. "We use light to place the qubit into a well-defined quantum state, followed by a microwave pulse that manipulates it, and the final state is read out by converting the spin information back into light". This creates a robust optical interface for transferring quantum information to and from the molecule, which is essential for enabling applications such as long-distance quantum networks.
A key feature of her project is the use of optically detected magnetic resonance (ODMR), a powerful technique that enables the precise readout spin states through light. Unlike other systems, single-molecular qubits can operate under ambient conditions without the need for ultracold temperatures or strong magnetic fields - offering a practical and accessible route to integrating quantum devices into real-world technologies.
The project builds on Dr Grüne's background in electron spin resonance and optical spectroscopy during her PhD at the University of Würzburg, Germany, and her postdoctoral research at the University of Cambridge. She will carry out her research in the group of Professor Hannah Stern, who leads pioneering work on quantum sensing using colour centres in two-dimensional materials like hexagonal boron nitride.
Professor Hannah Stern said "we are delighted to welcome Jeannine to Oxford with this prestigious Fellowship. Her work opens the door to to a new class of quantum materials, based on single molecules, that could establish a new platform for quantum technologies, both scalable and practical".
"I am very honoured and excited to receive this Fellowship" said Dr Grüne. "It is a unique opportunity to establish my own research direction. I look forward to working at Oxford and building new collaborations to demonstrate the potential of molecular quantum technologies".
