Science Starts Here: Madalina Furis
Madalina Furis.
Name
Madalina Furis.
Age
29.
Current position
Assistant Professor, Physics Department, University of Vermont.
Time at the Mag Lab
March 2004 to August 2006.
Role
Postdoc, Pulsed Field Facility.
Current work
Madalina’s research is focused on spin-dependent properties of nitride semiconductors. Nitride materials hold great promise for the emerging field of spintronics – which would usher in a radically new way to store and transport information through electron spin rather than charge.
In her own words
“The research environment at the Magnet Lab helped me become a better and much more productive scientist. I had the opportunity to learn unique high magnetic field experimental techniques from the top researchers in the field, in a friendly and most welcoming atmosphere. … I had the opportunity to interact with many researchers from the U.S. and abroad I otherwise would never have met. Most importantly the excellence in scientific research, constantly promoted at the Magnet Lab, helped me achieve my professional goals.
I had the opportunity to interact with many researchers from the U.S. and abroad I otherwise would never have met.
“The Magnet Lab is a unique combination of excellence in fundamental science (in a university setting) and the strong experimental infrastructure of a national laboratory. Unexpectedly interacting with users and visiting scientists or simply barging into a scientific conversation in a very informal setting turned out to be extremely valuable to me, as a junior faculty member, setting up a brand new research lab.”
How mentors make a difference
“I owe a lot to Scott Crooker, whom I shall always consider my mentor. He taught me that I should never stop when I thought I’ve done my best, because I could always do better.
“I was very impressed by his true passion for discovery and the way he always knew how to channel this passion into exciting new research. As a mentor, he always expected me to rise up to all the scientific challenges, raising the bar higher and higher every time.”
Published in Volume 15, Issue 1 of Mag Lab Reports (Download this issue in
PDF format, 1.7 MB).
