Author: hillepr

Postdoc Kavipriya Thangavel participated in the National Postdoc Appreciation Week Fall Symposium 2025 at Florida State University, where postdocs presented their research to an engaging community of fellow researchers across interdisciplinary fields. The symposium included multiple outreach and research competitions. Kavi presented her research conducted with the W-band HiPER spectrometer on qubit systems, as well as outreach work from the Hill group related to quantum technologies. Her presentation highlighted the current evolution of quantum technologies, the significance of elucidating qubit lifetime and aimed to bridge EPR spectroscopy research on embryonic molecular qubits with the rapidly developing field of quantum information. READ MORE

This year’s Rocky Mountain Conference (RMC) EPR 2025, dedicated exclusively to the field of EPR and chaired by Prof. Steve Hill, was held in Snowbird, Utah, from August 3–7, 2025, featuring numerous EPR presentations and posters.

Postdoc Brittany Grimm presented “EPR and FIRMS Characterization of the Magnetic Anisotropy in a Set of Metalorganic Mn^III[R-sal₂323]⁺ Spin-Crossover Complexes” at the RMC EPR 2025 conference and, among all the engaging EPR talks, took home the Best Postdoc Oral Presentation award. Congratulations on this fantastic achievement, Brittany!

Two more postdocs from Team EMR also took part in the conference. Kavipriya Thangavel presented a poster titled “Probing Spin Relaxation Mechanisms in Co(II) and Cu(II) Qubit Complexes via Temperature-Dependent High-Field EPR Studies”, and Sabastian Atwood presented “Multifrequency Study of Multiphoton Electron Paramagnetic Resonance in Crystalline Gd(III):YVO₂”.

In addition, congratulations to all three postdocs on receiving the RMC Conference Travel Award!

Alongside the academic achievements, the conference took place in a stunning setting, with lively moments inside and outside the venue, all framed by the majestic Rocky Mountains.

Congratulations to Erin on completing a successful Master’s program and, during this time, earning two best poster awards along with the prestigious Clara Kibler Davis Award. Best wishes for her continued success in the doctoral program at the University of Pittsburgh. Finally, a keepsake signed by Erin will join the collection on Steve’s students’ shelf, adding an extra touch of distinction!

Professor Stephen Hill, head of Team EMR, has been awarded the Bruker Prize Lecture 2025 at the RSC ESR Meeting in London.

This prestigious award is given to a scientist who has made a major contribution to the application of ESR spectroscopy in chemical or biological systems — a testament to Steve’s pioneering work in high-field EPR and quantum materials.

A well-deserved honor and a proud moment for the entire team!

Ronghe Wang (Erin) from the Team EMR awarded ‘Clara Kibler Davis’ Scholarship for “the tremendous effort in acquiring and analyzing high-field electron paramagnetic resonance data for a range of molecular magnets of potential interest for quantum information science”.
Huge Congratulations, Erin – we look forward to your continued success!

Congratulations to our Postdoc Dr. Jakub Hrubý for being appointed as a Guest Editor for a Special Issue in Magnetochemistry (ISSN 2312-7481), under the section “Magnetic Materials“! This Special Issue invites contributions exploring magnetism in metal–organic frameworks (MOFs), including studies on:

🧲Single-molecule magnets

🧲Quantum bits (qubits)

🧲Organometallic systems linked to MOFs

Interested authors can find more details here:
🔗 Special Issue Link

The Special Issue focuses on both experimental and theoretical investigations, including proof-of-concept studies with potential applications in diverse areas such as quantum information science, magnetic catalysis, high-temperature magnetism, battery technology, gas sensing, and energy storage and harvesting.

Team EMR attended MAGNA-2025, the 4th Conference on Molecular Magnetism in North America, held from February 28 to March 3, 2025, at Florida State University, Tallahassee. The conference brought together researchers to discuss the chemistry and physics of molecular magnets, including organic radicals, transition metals, lanthanides, actinides, and other magnetic materials.

Team EMR had a fantastic presence at MAGNA-2025, with exciting achievements and contributions! Postdoc, Sabastian Atwood once again took home the Best Poster Award – a well-deserved recognition for his outstanding work. Huge Congratulations! READ MORE

Postdocs Manoj Subramanya (Talk: Spin population control in a molecular Gd^III qudit using wideband chirped pulses) and Brittany Grimm (Talk: EPR and FIRMS characterization of the magnetic anisotropy in a set of Mn^III[R-sal₂323]⁺ spin-crossover complexes) delivered engaging talks, while other postdocs and students showcased their research through poster presentations. The conference was a great platform for discussions and discoveries in molecular magnetism, making it a rewarding experience for all!

The Dirac Quantum Symposium, organized by the FSU Quantum Initiative, highlighted cutting-edge research in Quantum Science and Engineering (QSE) held at the MagLab.

Team EMR secured a poster prize once again this year, with a special congratulations to Ronghe Wang for winning first place in her poster presentation! Congratulations, Erin!

Postdoc Jakub Hruby presented his talk on “High-Field EPR Results in Lanthanides,” while postdocs Sabastian Atwood, Ferdous Ara, Kavipriya Thangavel, and Brittany Grimm showcased their research in the poster session.

The event provided a great platform for knowledge exchange and collaboration in the field of quantum science.

The EMR group made science fun and interactive at the MagLab Open House , on Feb 22, 2025, with sizzling liquid nitrogen ice cream, kids’ favorite silly putty, and catchy cabbage juice pH color experiments. It was an incredible experience engaging with the public, sparking curiosity, and answering their questions. A truly exciting day of hands-on science!

Van received his Bachelor of Science in chemistry from Furman University. At Furman, he worked as a research assistant under Dr. Lauren Jarocha and Dr. Christian Kerpal. There he studied donor-acceptor radical pair mechanisms and their involvement in bird magnetoreception. His main focus was studying mixed catanionic surfactant systems and their ability to force prolonged spin coherence between magnetically generated radical pairs. Outside of the laboratory, Ivan loves to play sports, especially badminton and basketball and is an avid baker and cook. Ivan is now pursuing his PhD at Florida State University and is excited to join the Hill group.

Welcome to the team!