Professor J.C. Séamus Davis awarded a Royal Society Research Professorship

9 Apr 2020

Professor Séamus Davis, who holds a joint position as Professor of Quantum Physics at University College Cork (UCC) and Professor of Physics at Oxford University has been awarded a Royal Society Research Professorship.

Six world-class scientists in total have been awarded Royal Society Research Professorships, the Society’s premier research awards. The Royal Society is a Fellowship of many of the world's most eminent scientists and is the oldest scientific academy in continuous existence. 

The Research Professorships allow exceptional researchers to focus on ambitious and original research of the highest quality. 

Professor Séamus Davis studies exotic new quantum mechanical states of matter and is considered one of the world’s leading quantum mechanics scientists. A rapidly accelerating second quantum revolution is currently occurring and it will see the next generation of high-speed electronic devices which promise truly transformative advances in science, industry, economy, and society.

His Royal Society Research Professorship - Atomic-scale Visualization of Quantum Spin Liquids - aims to advance our understanding of the most enigmatic and challenging of these states, “quantum spin liquids”, by developing two new types of quantum microscopes - the first instruments capable of atomic-scale visualisations that are designed to observe quantum spin liquids directly. Spin liquids are materials in which every electron is quantum “entangled”, instantaneously influencing all the others by what Einstein called "spooky action at a distance". They rival dark matter in their power to stubbornly resist direct observation but understanding their properties will be vital for advancing the development of quantum computing and quantum materials.

Commenting on the awarding of the Royal Society Professorship to Professor Davis, Professor Anita Maguire, Vice-President of Research and Innovation at UCC stated, "I am delighted to see this prestigious award to support Seamus’ ground breaking research focused on atomic-scale visualisation of quantum spin liquids which will be conducted at Oxford University, while his work at UCC is supported by an earlier award from SFI. Significantly in the context of his joint appointment at Oxford and UCC, and the integrated research team across the two universities, the UCC scientists will benefit from the opportunity to work on the Royal Society funded spin liquid projects at Oxford."

The newly appointed Research Professors join a world-class cohort of leading scientists that have and continue to make exceptional contributions to science. Well done to all.

https://royalsociety.org/news/2020/04/research-professorships-announcement/