ERC Starting Grant for Philipp Pelz

He optimizes imaging and analysis methods in electron microscopy in order to find out more about the structure of materials at the atomic scale: FAU EAM member and EAM Professor Philipp Pelz has been awarded the coveted Starting Grant from the European Research Council (ERC) for his work on improving imaging processes in Material Science. The ERC Starting Grant entails up to 2.5 million Euros in funding over a funding period of five years.

“The ability to view the atomic level and at the same time discover all there is to know about the involved elements is a dream for material scientists,” says Philipp Pelz. The professor of Computational Materials Microscopy at FAU hopes to get a little closer to this dream with his ERC-funded project HyperScaleEM, in which he develops methods for high-volume atomic 3D imaging using electron microscopes. His research covers three different areas. First, very light elements, such as hydrogen and oxygen, which are barely detectable, using more traditional methods. Second, alloys that are difficult to characterize due to the fact that the included elements have a similar contrast and are therefore difficult to tell apart. “And third, nano and quantum electronics,” explains Pelz. “Here, structures are so small that the three dimensional positions and bonds between the individual atoms play a major role. I hope to make them visible.”

His approach involves optimizing both technology and imaging algorithms. “Thanks to the funding, I can purchase the optimal equipment, for example a spectrometer,” Philip Pelz explains. “In addition, we are also working with cameras that are capable of directly filming electrons without having to take the more roundabout approach of using light signals.” At the same time, Pelz is conducting research into computer-assisted imaging and analysis methods. His research is based on the latest findings in machine learning. “Electron microscopes deliver a wide range of imaging channels. We hope to extract as much information as possible from the data by correlating these channels with each other. As a result, electron microscopes should become more autonomous and deliver three dimensional images of complex samples in atomic resolution.”

The ERC project offers Philipp Pelz the ideal opportunity to connect his academic interests. He focused on electron microscopy during his doctoral degree, after studying Physics and Computer Science in Munich. “For me it is the perfect combination: I need a knowledge of physics to understand how the microscope collects data and computer science to gain information from the data.”