Ferenc Simon

Ferenc Simon is a full professor and deputy director at the Institute of Physics, Faculty of Natural Sciences, Budapest University of Technology and Economics (BME). He also holds a venia docendi (Privat-dozent) position at the University of Vienna. He leads the MTA-BME Spintronics Research Group (PROSPIN) and was PI on the ERC Starting Grant “SYLO”.

Education & Qualifications

• PhD (Hungarian Academy of Sciences)
• Doctor of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences
• Habilitation at TU Budapest
• Habilitation (venia docendi) at Universität Wien

Research Interests

Professor Simon’s work spans spintronics, carbon-based nanostructures (nanotubes, graphene, fullerene peapods), superconductivity, and low-dimensional quantum systems. He employs electron spin resonance, NMR, optical and microwave spectroscopy, and isotope engineering to explore spin relaxation, Tomonaga–Luttinger liquids, and high-frequency response of superconductors. Recent projects extend into biomedical applications such as magnetic nanoparticle hyperthermia.

Scientific Output & Trends

His publication record (hundreds of papers, book chapters, reviews) is dominated by Physical Review Letters and Scientific Reports articles that collectively advance the understanding of spin and electronic correlations in carbon nanostructures, superconducting anisotropy, and advanced instrumentation. The 2017–2018 burst of papers on microwave absorption in superconductors and non-calorimetric hyperthermia power measurements signifies an expansion toward applied physics and medical physics.

Awards & Honors

• MTA Talentum Award (2006)
• Editorial Board Member, Scientific Reports (since 2017)
• Editor, Fizikai Szemle (since 2018)
• Referee for Nature, PRL, and >10 other journals

Students, Grants & Labs

Simon has supervised ~85 BSc, MSc and PhD students (listed explicitly on his homepage). Current PhD students include L. Szolnoki, B. Gyüre, B. Márkus, I. Gresits, and others. He leads the PROSPIN group (MTA-BME Spintronics Research Group) and participates in the EnsembleQC consortium under Hungary’s Quantum Technology National Excellence Program.