Anna Fontcuberta i Morral

Anna Fontcuberta i Morral is a Full Professor and President at École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), holding appointments in the Laboratory of Semiconductor Materials (LMSC) within the School of Engineering, as well as in the EDMX teaching unit. She maintains active research leadership while serving in administrative roles at the highest level of the institution.

Her educational background includes:

• PhD in Materials Science, École Polytechnique (1998-2001)
• Diplôme d'Etudes Approfondis in Materials Science at Université Paris XI (1997-1998)
• BA in Physics at Universitat de Barcelona (1993-1997)
• Postdoctoral Scholar at California Institute of Technology under Professor Harry A. Atwater (2001-2002)

Professor Fontcuberta i Morral's research program focuses on semiconductor nanostructures, particularly nanowires, with applications spanning fundamental physics to technological implementations. Her work bridges materials science, quantum physics, and device engineering, with significant contributions to understanding growth mechanisms, structural properties, and electronic characteristics of various semiconductor systems. She has pioneered research on nanowire-based solar cells that can potentially exceed traditional efficiency limits, as well as quantum phenomena in nanowire heterostructures.

Analysis of her recent publications reveals a strategic expansion of research scope from fundamental nanowire properties to practical applications in photovoltaics, quantum computing, and optoelectronics. Her 2024-2025 publications demonstrate growing interest in germanium nanowires for quantum processors, zinc phosphide for sustainable photovoltaics, and 2D materials like WSe2, while maintaining strong contributions to the core understanding of III-V semiconductor nanostructures.

Scientific recognition includes:

• Marie Curie Excellence Grant (2005-2010)
• Research counselor at the Swiss National Science Foundation since 2016
• Section Editor and founder of a publications section

Professor Fontcuberta i Morral has supervised over 40 PhD students who have gone on to successful careers in academia (including tenure-track positions at TU Delft, ETH Zurich, and University of Basel) and industry (including positions at IBM, Sensirion, and startup companies). Her research has been consistently funded by major agencies including the Swiss National Science Foundation and European programs. She leads the Laboratory of Semiconductor Materials, which focuses on the synthesis, characterization, and application of semiconductor nanostructures for next-generation electronic, photonic, and energy conversion devices.