In addition to his invited talk at the IEEE International Symposium on Applications of Ferroelectrics & Piezoresponse Force Microscopy (ISAF-PFM) 2026 in Montreal, Canada, our PhD student Ivan Ushakov won second place in the Student Pitch Competition for presenting his research. As part of IEEE ISAF-PFM, the Student Pitch Competition gives students the opportunity to present their research in short, engaging talks to the international research community. Congratulations, Ivan!

Prof. Dr. Dennis Meier has been elevated to IEEE Senior Member, an honor bestowed upon those who have made significant contributions to the profession. The recognition highlights technical and professional excellence.

Congratulations to our PhD student Ivan Ushakov for winning second place in the poster award at the 857th WE-Heraeus-Seminar in Bad Honnef for his poster "Hybrid antiferroelectric-ferroelectric domains and domain walls in noncollinear antipolar oxides".

Electric dipoles in crystalline materials can arrange in complex patterns that strongly influence their macroscopic properties. In a recent study published in Nature Nanotechnology, a research team led by Prof. Dr. Dennis Meier has shown that antiferroelectric order can become slightly tilted in certain crystals, leading to the emergence of hybrid electric states. These effects could enable novel functionalities for future nanoscale electronic systems.

Press release of the university

Antiferroelectrics are materials in which electric dipoles arrange themselves in opposite directions and thus neutralize each other. An international research team, including Prof. Dr. Dennis Meier, has now shown in a study published in Nature Materials that these long-underestimated materials are much more versatile than previously thought and could improve energy storage, electronics, and cooling technologies in the future.

Press release of the university (only in German)

Prof. Dr. Dennis Meier has been announced as a plenary speaker at the IEEE International Symposium on Applications of Ferroelectrics & Piezoresponse Force Microscopy (ISAF-PFM) 2026, which will take place July 6–10 in Montreal, Canada. The conference focuses on the latest advances in ferroelectric and multiferroic materials, including their processing, characterization, nanoscale properties, and device applications.

More information

Prof. Dr. Dennis Meier has been elected as the new president of the European Magnetism Association (EMA). The election took place during this year's Joint European Magnetic Symposia (JEMS) conference in Frankfurt. 

News article of the EMA

On July 1st, 2025, Prof. Dr. Dennis Meier took up the professorship for Functional Ferroic Systems at the Faculty of Physics at the University of Duisburg-Essen. The newly founded research group is part of the Research Center “Future Energy Materials and Systems” of the University Alliance Ruhr.

Press release of the university