The search for topological materials in MARVEL: a joint effort of theory and experiment

During the first and second phases of MARVEL, theorists and experimentalists collaborated on identifying and testing promising topological materials, that owe their behaviour to the geometrical properties of their electronic structure. EPFL's Oleg Yazyev led the project, with key experiments performed by the group of Ming Shi, then at the Paul Scherrer Institute. It all began with the creation of a database of topological materials, and continued with groundbreaking studies on bismuth iodide, followed by the Weyl semi-metals tantalum phosphide (TaP) and tungsten phosphide (WP2). The insight gained from research on topological materials has spilled out on other areas of physics. This is the second article in a series about MARVEL's success stories from its 10 years of research. You can read the first one here. 

Ig Nobel Award Tour Show 2025

On Monday March 31, with the support of the NCCR MARVEL, EPFL will welcome for the sixth time the Ig Nobel Award Tour Show, with Marc Abrahams and the Ig Nobel Prize winners Mariska Kret, Marjolaine Willems, Roman Khonsari, Alexandra Sarafoglou, and Frantisek Bartos. We will be talking about coin flipping, synchronization of heart rates of new romantic partners, or swirling of the hair of people in different hemispheres. A great evening ahead!

MARVEL Junior Seminar — March 2025

The MARVEL Junior Seminars aim to intensify interactions between the MARVEL Junior scientists belonging to different research groups – this is held in hybrid mode, in order to maintain in-person contacts and allow off-campus attendees to follow the seminars remotely! We are pleased to propose the 65th MARVEL Junior Seminar:  Hanna Türk (Lab. of computational science and modelling - COSMO, EPFL) and Claire Paetsch (Lab. of materials design and simulation - MADES, EPFL) will present their research. 

MARVEL Junior Seminar — May 2025

The MARVEL Junior Seminars aim to intensify interactions between the MARVEL Junior scientists belonging to different research groups – this is held in hybrid mode, in order to maintain in-person contacts and allow off-campus attendees to follow the seminars remotely! We are pleased to propose the 66th MARVEL Junior Seminar:  Anna Paulish (Mathematics for materials modeling - MATMAT, EPFL) and Alessandro Carbone (Lab. of theory and simulation of materials - THEOS, EPFL) will present their research. 

2025 Summer camp for high-school students

The 1-week camp entitled Des atomes aux ordinateurs, à la découverte de la programmation scientifique is open to teenagers in the last two years of high-school, with no high-level in maths or physics prerequisite. A prior knowledge of the basics of programming is recommended. It is possible to acquire these notions independently if necessary (within 3-4 hours). Half of the seats are reserved for young women. In 2025, it will take place from 23 to 27 June at EPFL. Registrations are open from 3 March until 13 April.

Psi-k 2025 conference

Psi-k 2025 is the 7th general conference for the worldwide Psi-k community. Held every 5 years, this event is the largest worldwide in first-principles simulations. With more than 1200 participants attending the last edition, the conference is returning to Lausanne this year.  It promises to be the most exciting, defining event in the field, offering a stimulating and enjoyable atmosphere, in addition to a chance to explore the beautiful region around Lausanne and Lake Geneva.