Hannah Stern

I am an Associate Professor and Royal Society University Research Fellow, leading a research team based in the Department of Materials at the University of Oxford (as of September 2024) and, previously, at the Photon Science Institute at the University of Manchester and at the Cavendish Laboratory at the University of Cambridge, UK. 

My team's research is motivated by the fact that new materials have always been the bearer of new technologies. We study how materials interact with light and how to harness and engineer their excited state behaviour to build future technologies such as quantum optical networks and quantum sensors.

In general, my interest lies in exploring the fundamental photophysics of organic semiconductors and defects in wide bandgap semiconductors. My previous work involved the investigation of exciton multiplication in organic semiconductors, with application to solar cells. More recently, my work involves the investigation of optical defects in two-dimensional materials that display quantum coherent spins that can be controlled under ambient conditions. This system is of interest for future quantum optical technologies.

I also have a keen interest to communicate my science to a general audience, and to link fundamental research to commercial developments. For further details see the  Media and Entrepreneurship link on my web page. 

I completed a PhD (Physics) at Cambridge University under the supervision of Sir Professor Richard Friend. I have a Bachelor of Science (First Class Honours) in Chemistry from Otago University, New Zealand.