Dr Carmem M Gilardoni

BSc MSc PhD

Carmem is an experimental physicist using quantum-optical tools to investigate materials. As a Rubicon Fellow funded by the Dutch Research Council, she explores how materials with engineered symmetries can have added functionality for information processing technologies. 

After graduating with a Bachelor of Science in Physics from the University of Brasilia in 2014, Carmem moved to Groningen, the Netherlands. There, she finished a Master's programme in Nanoscience followed by a PhD investigating the optics of crystalline defects in traditional semiconductors with potential quantum-technological applications. Both her Master's and PhD degrees were awarded cum laude, the highest distinction in the Netherlands. For the work developed during her PhD, she has been recognized with the 2023 Ehrenfest-Afanassjewa Thesis Award from the Dutch Physics Council, the 2022 New Journal of Physics Early Career Award, and with an honourable mention in the 2022 Dutch For Women in Science Rising Talents Award from the L’Oreal-UNESCO Foundation. The Dutch Research Council funds her current position at the University of Cambridge via a Rubicon Fellowship. 

Carmem uses a combination of theoretical and experimental tools to investigate the interplay between optics and spin – a quantum mechanical property of electrons that determines how they interact with magnetic fields – in different material systems. She is interested in platforms with engineered symmetries, where novel functionality may arise from the interaction between spins and different degrees of freedom. Ultimately, she would like to contribute to a change in the paradigm of how one searches for materials and systems for spin-based applications, from a characterization-based search towards a targeted approach where systems are designed from the bottom up to express specific functionalities.

What's on

Photo of stoneware from exhibition

Art Exhibition: Richard Batterham stoneware

23/09/2023 at 10.00

A display of works from the Bradshaw-Bubier studio pottery collection.

Photo of artist Gurpran Rau holding a piece of her artwork

Art Exhibition: 'Patterns of Renewal'

23/09/2023 at 10.00

We're delighted to be the first to exhibit new paintings by Gurpran Rau in 'Patterns of Renewal' - including a series of works inspired by nature and the woods of Cambridgeshire.

Photo of Vidura BR

Wolfson Howler with Vidura BR

02/10/2023 at 20.00

The Wolfson Howler is back, bringing you the best comedy Cambridge has to offer!

Illustration from Punch magazine in 1848

The Police Outrage: A Killing, a Coverup, and a Campaign for Justice in Victorian London

17/10/2023 at 17.30

One summer night in 1851, a London police officer beat a young man to death. This talk tells the story of what happened next: a struggle for truth, justice, and equality before the law.

Two graduands smiling on their graduation day

Graduation Ceremony

21/10/2023 at 09.00

Graduation ceremonies are the culmination of students’ hard work and commitment, and a moment to celebrate the completion of their Cambridge degree.

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