Jorge Iñiguez, an affiliate professor of physics at the University of Luxembourg and a leading physicist at the Luxembourg Institute of Science and Technology (LIST), has been elected fellow of the American Physical Society (APS) for 2022.

The prestigious APS Fellowship programme, created in 1921, recognises members for their significant and innovative contribution to physics and its applications. According to the APS, only one half of one percent of the Society’s members are elected to the status of Fellow by their peers.

Speaking of his nomination, Prof. Iñiguez said, “This is special because among physicists it is one of the most respected professional organisations for us in the world. Each year the APS elects a small percentage of the total number of senior members as fellows, meaning it is difficult to get. How it works is your colleagues put your name forward, and then there is an evaluation by peers. To me it means the work that I have been leading has been significant and meaningful, that the community out there has been paying attention and think that what we’ve been doing is notable.” 

Prof. Iñiguez was nominated and elected for “ground-breaking contributions to the computational theory of ferroelectric and multiferroic materials”. Dr Iñiguez’s election is a recognition of his work with a family of important materials that are extremely interesting in terms of the fascinating physical properties they possess and their potential for technological applications. They present what are known as “phase transitions” meaning that, by changing the temperature of these compounds, their structure and properties also change spontaneously. Further, they are very reactive to external electric fields, pressure or even light, which allows to control their properties in ways that are useful for applications in electronics, for example, and even to harvest energy from natural sources. (source: LIST)

More about his work and a podcast featuring an interview