June 2026 • Newsletter from the Centre for Nanoscience, Lund University Strategic Research Area NanoLund |
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We are looking back on a year of strong progress across NanoLund, spanning scientific disciplines from fundamental research to technology development in collaboration with companies and healthcare. From materials and semiconductors to life science and light, we demonstrate how our interdisciplinary approach continues to deliver both new understanding and real impact.
Quantum science has moved further from fundamental discovery towards real applications in sensing, communication, and computing. It is a good example of what NanoLund is about: deep understanding leading to new opportunities. Quantum is also high on the agenda in Lund University’s programme at Almedalsveckan.
We collaborate and compete internationally with an ever-growing number of excellent and well-funded centres. To stay at the forefront, we must continue to build the best possible environment: a great place to do interdisciplinary science, with unique infrastructure and strong interaction with society. Atom-level understanding and control, pioneering fundamental science, and deep-tech applications are central to our work. Our outstanding local nano-characterisation facilities, together with our integration with the large-scale infrastructures MAX IV and ESS, give us a unique position. With the continued development of Science Village and the new Nanolab Science Village, we are moving towards a more integrated environment, bringing people, tools, and ideas together in new ways. This is how value is created – and the opportunities ahead are exceptional. It is now up to us to use them well.
A big and warm thank you to all staff, students, and partners, both inside and outside the University, for your ongoing support, understanding, and contributions. Together, we continue to make NanoLund a great place to do nanoscience and to make a difference in society.
Now, we look forward to a summer with time for recovery, reflection, and well-deserved rest.
Anders Mikkelsen, Director of NanoLund
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Fresh from the printshop – on paper as well as digitally – we are proud to present to you the summary of our 2025, highlighting our research, grants, awards, and publications, paving the way to new frontiers and constantly growing, thanks to the hard work of our scientific community and all those who support us.
The NanoLund Annual Report 2025 |
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In a joint initiative, six Swedish universities are now joining forces to establish the Swedish Centre for Quantum Technology, a national centre for research, innovation, education and capacity building in quantum technology. The initiative aims to strengthen Sweden’s competitiveness in the field and to serve as a driving force for the development and application of the technology. Globally, quantum technology is at a decisive stage, with substantial investments in research and infrastructure.
“If Sweden is to assert itself in global development, we need to act in concert. Lund University can contribute a Nobel Prize–recognised quantum environment where we have built world-class research. A national quantum centre allows us to unite our respective strengths and create an environment in which Sweden can help shape the next technological revolution,” says Erik Renström, Vice-Chancellor of Lund University.
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For many years, quantum physics was primarily a field of fundamental research. Today, however, the focus is increasingly on practical applications. This is where quantum technology comes in.
“Quantum physics was developed to describe the very smallest building blocks of the universe. When researchers began studying atoms, electrons and light, they discovered that the conventional laws of physics were no longer sufficient. A completely new type of physics had to be developed,” says Martin Leijnse.
“Before quantum physics, it was generally believed that everything was essentially determined and followed clear laws. In the quantum world, however, much is governed by probability and chance. Einstein found this deeply provocative, which is why he famously remarked that ‘God does not play dice’,” says Peter Samuelsson
Interview with Samuelsson and Leijnse about Lund University’s work in the quantum field |
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Imagine opening a juice box made from materials designed with deeper scientific insight into how they behave at the smallest scales.
While Tetra Pak’s fully paper-based barrier materials are already reaching markets in Europe and Asia, research continues to push the boundaries of sustainable packaging performance. One example is the WISE IP2 postdoctoral project, a collaboration between Tetra Pak, Lund University, and the WISE program. By bringing together researchers and industry experts, the project aims to advance the fundamental understanding of the materials that underpin next-generation food packaging solutions.
In the photo: Professor Marie Skepö, Postdoc Martina Ambrogi, and Technology specialist Anna Svensson in front of the BioSAXS instrument at Lund University.
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The EOES (European Olympiad of Experimental Science) is an annually recurring science olympiad for young people from the European Union, organised by a member country of EOES NPO.
At least three NanoLundians participated in the event: Jens Uhlig, Klara Suchan, and Jonas Tegenfeldt. This international science competition is arranged for students in their final year of elementary school or first year of high school, and the challenges consist of experimental tasks in biology, chemistry, and physics. It is a team competition with three members per team. 48 teams from all over Europe were competing in this year’s edition.
The EOES website |
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PhD student William Samuelson et al develop a theoretical framework showing how Majorana bound states can remain robust even in strongly interacting quantum systems.
In the article recently published in PRX Quantum, the authors connect the locality of Majorana states to protection against environmental disturbances, an important step toward understanding how topological approaches could support future quantum technologies. This framework also provides new tools for exploring strongly interacting quantum systems inspired by recent experimental advances.
All authors: William Samuelson, Juan Daniel Torres Luna, Sebastian Miles, Ahmet Mert Bozkurt, Martin Leijnse, Michael Wimmer, and Viktor Svensson.
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Metal joining remains an essential yet challenging process in manufacturing, particularly for components with small dimensions, multiplex, delicate geometries, or dissimilar metals, where conventional joining methods can be insufficient. In a recent study, researchers introduce Gas Actuated Bonding (GAB), a novel method that establishes a new framework for controllable, flexible metal joining.
“We have demonstrated that gaseous surface activation can enable metallurgical bonding, which is the first major leap in metal joining technology since the early 1990s,” says Filip Lenrick, Senior Lecturer, Production and Materials Engineering.
Understanding the underlying mechanism |
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Semiconductors are a cornerstone of all electronics around which the modern world revolves. But they need to become much more energy efficient. Researchers at two Swedish universities are now investigating whether semiconductor materials with ultra-wide band gaps could be the solution. The Knut and Alice Wallenberg Foundation recently published a piece portraying Vanya Darakchieva. “On average, almost 10 percent of all the energy that is produced is lost at various stages when one form of energy is converted into another. The material we’re working on would save a lot of energy by converting electricity in a very efficient way – if it were conductive. But it’s not, so the project is about how we can achieve that,” says Vanya Darakchieva, professor of solid‑state physics and head of the project.
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In an article published in Nature Communications last year, researchers Fan Wu, Tu C. Nguyen-Phan, Richard Cogdell, and Tönu Pullerits suggest that optical microcavities can be a strategic tool for modifying excitation energy transfer between molecular complexes.
“We show that optical microcavities can enhance energy transfer between photosynthetic light-harvesting complexes, even in the weak coupling regime, offering a promising route for controlling energy flow in artificial light-harvesting systems”, says Tönu Pullerits.
Controlling how absorbed light energy moves through a material |
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Time-resolved imaging of plasmonic near fields is well-established at visible wavelengths but remains largely unexplored in the short-wavelength infrared (SWIR) range. In the article “Ultrafast Near-Field Dynamics in Silver Nanowires Driven by Few-Cycle Short-Wave Infrared Pulses”, the authors use time-resolved photoemission electron microscopy (TR-PEEM) to directly visualize ultrafast plasmon dynamics in silver nanowires driven by a few-cycle SWIR pulses. The results establish silver nanowires as efficient local SWIR field concentrators and demonstrate that their tunable ultrafast plasmonic responses can be imaged and filtered using photoelectrons, offering promising avenues for nanoscale photonic applications and ultrafast control of electron emission.
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