Highlighting the individuals who have contributed and helped others in the Driscoll Group, DMG, and University.
Nives Strkalj
Nives has joined the group in March 2021 as a Postdoc Mobility fellow of the Swiss National Science Foundation to study resistive switching based on ferroelectricity and ionic reconfigurations. Her passions for nanoscale ferroelectricity and sharing knowledge have been a great asset to the group, motivating others to join her quests. Her contagious enthusiasm and unwavering patience have made her the first point of contact for scientific discussions related to phenomena in ferroelectric-based heterostructures, both within the group and in several collaborations. Nives has further been managing the advanced pulsed laser deposition system with reflection high energy electron diffraction, keeping it running smoothly throughout her stay. She has reestablished the use of piezoresponse force microscopy in the group, selflessly training users from our and other groups, and developing measurement protocols for detecting ferroelectricity. She has also been our local expert on x-ray reflectivity and diffraction, particularly strain and defect analysis. She has served as the liaison to the Di Martino group, continuously improving the sample design for collaborative projects on optical spectroscopy. The group is thankful for the expertise she brought to the group and even more for her kind uplifting guidance when Nature becomes shy revealing it’s true nature.
Megan O. Hill
Megan has been a great member of the team, hosting a prestigious Herchel Smith Fellowship for 3 years. Megan has not only been undertaking advanced HAXPES analysis of ferroelectric device structures but has also worked very proactively to help the group and our external collaborators in interpreting the chemistry and electrical behaviour of their samples using XPS and UPS. She has managed our tricky XPS/UPS system, constantly trouble shooting, making it work and then analysing samples from both within the group and across the University. Megan has been our resident expert on electron backscatter diffraction, kindly helping several out with in-depth analysis of their film textures. Megan also ran our memory meeting seminars for a year, arranging speakers and chairing the meetings. Finally, she has also been very kind in keeping the group sane during the difficult pandemic times, e.g. arranging outdoor social events. The group are all so grateful to Megan for all she has done to help everyone beyond her own research.
