News

We are so excited to announce that we are now starting the recruitment for the second cohort for our program. Some students from the first cohort will be graduating shortly having had a very successful and memorable experience in the program.  Including two summer schools, the first in Germany last year and one in Canada that was completed this summer.    

Are you interested in participating in cutting-edge interdisciplinary research, strengthening your resume with professional and technical skills, and exploring the scientific and cultural diversity in Europe and North America? The graduate training program in Scalable 2D-Materials Architectures (2D-MATURE) may be the opportunity you’re looking for!

Joining this program will place you on an interdisciplinary team of world-renowned researchers that span Chemical Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Chemistry and Physics. The research will take place at the University of Waterloo (UW), the University of Duisburg-Essen (UDE) and RWTH Aachen University and involves solving fundamental and application-oriented challenges that are associated with the scaling up of 2D-materials to enable next-generation devices. See www.2D-mature.org for more detailed information on specific projects and program requirements.

We are looking to admit our second cohort of approximately 24 PhD and 8 MASc students into the training program, with start dates as early as Spring/Fall 2025. The PhD positions are available at UW (11), UDE (13). The MASc positions are only available at UW.

Application deadline: December 15^th, 2024

Application details can be found at our website or apply directly using our  application form

The UW, UDE and RWTH Aachen University regard equity and diversity as an integral part of academic excellence and is committed to accessibility for all employees. As such, we encourage applications from women, Indigenous Persons (First Nations, Metis and Inuit), persons with disabilities, persons of all sexual and gender identities/expressions, and others who may contribute to the further diversification of ideas. In this program, you will have the opportunity to work across disciplines and collaborate with an international community of scholars and a diverse student body, situated in a rapidly growing community that has been termed a “hub of innovation”.

Student's Testimonials

"My experience with the 2D-MATURE program between UDE and UW was nothing short of transformative! The ongoing collaborations with both universities catapulted my understanding of 2D materials to new heights. Working alongside experts from diverse fields allowed me to understand everything from synthesis processes to device applications.

The program opened doors to connecting with industry partners and world-renowned researchers in the field, giving exciting opportunities and groundbreaking insights. The exchange to UDE didn't just enhance my academic journey; it ignited my passion for 2D materials and set the stage for a future filled with innovation and discovery!"

"2D-MATURE has been such a phenomenal experience for my MASc. Getting to attend the summer schools both in Germany and in Waterloo were essential for developing academic connections and friendships that will last well past the end of my time in the program. My time on exchange in Germany really helped advance my research and I would not be at the point I am without it. Overall, I could not have been happier being a part of this program."

Regards,

Prof. Dr. Michael A. Pope

University of Waterloo, Canada

E-Mail: michael.pope@uwaterloo.ca

Prof. Dr. Gerd Bacher

University of Duisburg-Essen, Germany

E-Mail: gerd.bacher@uni-due.de

Congratulations to PhD student Nikolai Burton for winning the Student Poster Presentation Competition at Canadian Chemical Engineering Conference (CSCHE) 2023 in Calgary. The poster was based on a recent publication in the Journal of Membrane Science that shows record water vapour permeance for graphene oxide membranes with potential use cases in enabling more compact, energy efficient membrane dehumidification systems: https://lnkd.in/ggab4qmk.

Post-Doctoral Fellow Manila Ozhukil Valappil has been awarded the Small Methods Poster Award at the Flatlands beyond Graphene 2023 conference held in Prague, Czech Republic from 25-29 September! Her poster was titled 'Electrochemical Exfoliation of Transition Metal Dichalcogenides for Printed Optoelectronic Devices'.

Nikolai Burton has been awarded the David Johnson International Student Entrance Scholarship! Nikolai, a native of Barbados grew up on the island spending time with his family and playing football and cricket. Nikolai was selected for this award on the basis of academic excellence, and his academic achievements.

This article was originally published by GSPA.

Please join us in congratulating the winners of the 2022 GRADflix competition!

On January 31, Graduate Studies and Postdoctoral Affairs hosted its fourth annual GRADflix Showcase, a virtual red-carpet event featuring the 25 best one-minute videos made by graduate students to describe their research.

Professor Michael Pope is the lead applicant for an international collaboration that will help Canadian companies working with 2D materials compete on the international stage.

Two University of Waterloo startups have been named among 10 winners of a national energy solutions competition.

Evercloak Inc. will receive funding to support a $1.2 million project to develop a dehumidification technology for air conditioners that will cut greenhouse gas emissions and reduce the energy use of cooling systems by over 50 per cent. Michael Pope, assistant professor, chemical engineering, and Evelyn Allen, corporate researcher partnerships manager, in the Office of Research co-founded the company in 2018.

A startup company co-founded by Waterloo Engineering professor Michael Pope recently won $25,000 in seed funding in a pitch competition meant to encourage Canadian innovation.

Evercloak, a cleantech startup that specializes in manufacturing ultra-thin graphene and other 2D nanomaterial films, took first place in the environment and electrification development category of the Ontario Power Generation Ignite contest.

Thursday, June 21^st marked the conclusion of a successful international workshop at the Waterloo Institute for Nanotechnology (WIN). For the past four days, representatives from the Center for Nanointegration Duisburg-Essen (CENIDE) in Germany and WIN met to discuss opportunities for joint funding proposals and establishing student knowledge exchanges. 

Michael Pope doesn’t know how much daily battery life people would be willing to trade away for the convenience of smartphones that fully charge in a matter of just five or 10 seconds.